Private Dental Care Fees
What happens if your dentist goes private or you’ve moved to a new area and need to find a new dentist? Or perhaps you’re a nervous patient and need the extra attention that private dental care provides. If so, you might be wondering about the cost of private dental care. As a private dentist in High Wycombe, Berkshire, we’ll showcase our private and average dental fees from across the UK if you’re too far away from us to become a regular patient.
The costs of becoming a new patient
Becoming a new patient in a private practice is always more expensive initially. This is because it’s your first-ever appointment with us, which means we’ll spend more time with you, taking all the appropriate scans, X-rays, impressions, etc., and carrying out a full 10-point assessment of your oral health to get a clear picture. Our scans are also more high-tech than standard X-rays, as we use 3D scanners, which are more precise, accurate, and detailed. New patient-private costs, on average, throughout the UK tend to be between £95 and £200. The cost for regular check-ups from here usually drops between £50 and £80. At our High Wycombe private practice, we charge £120 for a new patient check-up, including your scans and then £70 once you’re a registered patient.
How much are hygienist appointments?
A standard hygiene appointment with a hygienist, which lasts roughly 30 minutes, will cost patients £80 privately or up to £160 for a full hour.
General dentistry prices
Suppose we find something wrong with your teeth after your check-up. If we’ve identified some dental decay or tooth damage, we might recommend additional procedures like dental fillings, inlays and onlays, dental crowns, and even root canals. We’ve broken down the costs of general dental treatments below, showcasing the UK averages, so you can better plan, prepare and budget for such costs if necessary.
Please note that our prices for dental fillings might seem excessive compared to NHS costs. However, we do not use silver amalgam fillings, which are being phased out in 2025 anyway. We only use white composite fillings, which is why the cost is considerably higher.
Restorative dentistry prices
Fees for cosmetic dentistry (not offered by NHS)
Paying for your treatment
Please note that with private dental care, there is a way you can save on fees or help make your payments more manageable. For example, most practices like ours offer 0% finance over treatments costing more than £250, which means you can spread the cost of your dental care over 12 months without paying any additional interest. An alternative way to keep regular costs down is signing up for practice membership plans, where you can spend a set fee per month and have your check-ups, hygiene appointments, and x-rays included every time you visit.
Important questions
- Will I lose my NHS place if I go private? You could get treated with a private doctor for a particular treatment, but that does not mean you’d lose your entitlement to NHS care. And it’s exactly the same with dentistry. Just because you choose to see a private dentist for certain treatments doesn’t mean that you’ll lose your entitlement to cheaper dental care. However, remember that registering with another practice will move your place from your current practice.
- Is private dentistry worth the price? That will truly be for you to decide. Dentists aren’t superior because they’re private versus NHS. Private dentists, however, do have more time and don’t have to squeeze in as many patients, which can often result in better care and attention to detail. However, that’s not to say that NHS dentists are not good at what they do. They might not have the time to give each patient the full attention they deserve.
