NHS vs private dentist cost checker

What the checker compares

The checker takes two inputs. The first is the treatment, chosen from four options which match the NHS charge bands in England. The second, optional, is a private quote in pounds. The result shows the NHS charge, your quote and the difference between them, with a one-line verdict.

Leave the quote blank and the checker gives the NHS charge on its own.

Worked example: one white filling

You have been quoted for a small white filling at Wood Lane Dentistry in Sonning Common. The practice's fees page lists it at £157.

1. Choose "Filling, extraction or root canal (band 2)". The NHS charge shows as £76.60.
2. Type 157 in the quote box.
3. The difference shows as £80.40 more privately.

The NHS figure is for the whole band 2 course. A check-up at the start of the same course adds nothing, because the highest band sets the charge.

Worked example: two fillings at a larger chain

Bupa Dental Care Sale lists a small white filling from £240. Two of them start at £480.

1. Choose the band 2 option. The NHS charge stays at £76.60, since one course covers both fillings.
2. Type 480.
3. The checker shows £403.40 more privately.

Enter the total for all the work in one course, not the price of a single item. Typing 240 here would understate the gap by £240.

Worked example: a crown

Bupa Dental Care Trowbridge lists a crown from £929. Choose the band 3 option, enter 929, and the checker shows £596.90 more privately than the £332.10 NHS charge. At Bupa Dental Islington, where a porcelain bonded crown starts at £1,535, the gap is £1,202.90.

When a private quote comes out lower

The checker flags any quote below the NHS charge and asks you to check what it includes. The NHS band 1 course covers the examination, X-rays when clinically needed and scaling when the dentist decides it is needed. Bupa's lists price X-rays separately. Bupa Partick West in Glasgow charges £75 for a routine check-up and from £25 for a simple X-ray, so a check-up with one X-ray there starts at £100. A low headline price can climb once the extras are added.

Method

The NHS figures come from the site's charges data file, which holds the England band 1, band 2, band 3 and urgent charges with the date each was checked. The checker reads the band for the option you pick. It subtracts the NHS charge from your quote. A positive result shows as "more privately" and a negative result as "less privately". Results show in pounds and pence.

The checker does not:

• apply exemptions. Free groups pay £0, listed in the note under the result.
• cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Scotland and Northern Ireland charge 80% of the fee up to £384 a course. Wales charges by care package, with urgent care at £37.50.
• add regulation 11 replacement appliance charges or private laboratory fees.
• check whether a private "from" price will rise for your case.

Using the result

A large gap is a reason to keep looking for an NHS place. The finding an NHS dentist guide covers the search and the integrated care board. If you qualify for free treatment, the free NHS dental treatment guide lists the proof to bring. For more private prices to test, see private dentist prices.

Where the figures come from

The four NHS charges are from NHSBSA knowledge base article KA-02003, read on 22 October 2026. The band contents and the highest-band rule are from the NHS website page on understanding NHS dental charges. The free groups in the result note are from the NHS website page on free dental treatment. Private prices in the examples are from the Wood Lane Dentistry fees page and the Bupa Dental Care price pages for Sale, Trowbridge, Islington and Partick West. The Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland rules are from the Welsh Government, NHS National Services Scotland and nidirect.