About NHS banding
Whenever you get a treatment from the NHS, it falls into a specific band. The NHS has three distinct bands and any treatment that you get falls into one of those bands. The simplest things fall into Band I, for example a dental check up. Moderate dental WORKS FALL INTO Band II, for example fillings. Complex dental works fall into Band III, for example dental bridges.
Pricing of these bands as determined by the NHS is as following –
| NHS band | Pricing structure |
| Band I | £27.40 |
| Band II | £75.30 |
| Band III | £326.70 |
The NHS pricing structure in Wales is more reasonable compared to that in London. For Band I costs £20, Band costs £60 and Band III costs £260.
Banding ensures you get your money’s worth
Just knowing about the NHS banding is not worth until and unless you know how it works. A patient may undergo multiple bits of work done in a single course of treatment or a single visit to an NHS dentist. For example, you may have three fillings done but in that case you pay on the price for Band II treatments only once. A patient at the NHS has only to pay for the upper band the entire treatment is done under. An NHS dentist in Raynes Park explains this more clearly in the following way.
Suppose you undergo a check and your NHS dentist recommends a filling. But that filling cannot be done until next week. In that case you do not need paying for Band I and Band II separately. You pay the Band I price for the check up which is £27.40 and then come back for the filling. On the second visit you pay only £47.90. However your dentist may provide you a service where you get some NHS work and then pay a little extra and get some private dentistry work done. An example here will make this approach clearer.
Consider that you for a check up with an NHS dentist. They detect a cavity in one of the tooth at the back of your mouth. The NHS will offer you only a metal filling in this circumstance, but what if you want to upgrade it to a white composite filling. What do you do? You can upgrade your treatment to a white composite filling, explains an NHS dentist in Wimbledon, by paying little more than the Band II price. But the price of the white filling and that of the check up is rolled together to facilitate patient convenience. You do not have to pay for a check up and also for a white composite filling separately.
What the NHS guarantees
The NHS covers its treatments with well-defined guarantees. If anything goes wrong with your dental work that was done at the NHS within 12 months from getting the treatment, the NHS covers it with a guarantee. Thus you can go back to the NHS practice and get a replacement without paying a dime any more. However it is crucial that you go back to the same dentist the next time suggests a busy NHS dentist in London. A large number of Britons are actually unaware about this facility the NHS offers. There is nothing to be embarrassed to go back to your NHS dentist if there is something that does not feel right or is cracked, broken or chipped. Your NHS dentist will either fix or replace it without charging any extra money.
Cost for dental implants
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root which is surgically drilled into your jaw. It is meant to replace a lost or missing tooth (or teeth). The NHS offers dental implants only to those who need it for a medical reason. Maybe your teeth or the face is damaged and you are unable to wear dentures or false teeth for a valid medical reason. The reason may include suffering from an accident or battling oral cancer. In those cases the NHS may approve an implant for you.
Even people who are born with a cleft lip, missing teeth or cleft palate may are also likely to receive dental implants from the NHS. Implant is strongly considered as a cosmetic dentistry treatment, explains an NHS dentist near me. Hence the NHS does not widely approve implants. If you are eligible then you have to pay the Band III treatment cost for it which is presently £319.10. At private dentists the treatment ranges from around £2800 to £5500.
Cost for dental crowns
Dental crowns involve quite a complex procedure. Usually one requires a crown when a tooth becomes severely damaged. Dentists recommend a crown after a root canal treatment. Before fitting a crown the tooth is scaled down to fit the shape. A dental crown is a cap which comes in the shape of the tooth and completely covers the tooth. A crown remains fitted on a tooth permanently providing it with strength and reinforcement and thus the already weakened tooth lasts for years together while retaining its normal appearance and functionalities.
Dental crowns come under Band III, says an NHS dentist in Colliers Wood. The cost comes to £326.70. The type of crown that the NHS will provide you with depends on the following factors –
- Position of the tooth in the mouth which requires the crown and
- The type that suits the best in opinion of your dentist
If the tooth is in front of the mouth, you get an aesthetically pleasing white crown made from resin or porcelain. For any of the rear tooth, the NHS approves a metal crown which is non-white. To get white crown for the rear tooth you have to seek private dentistry. the cost starts around £450.
Cost for root canal treatment
This treatment comes under Band II at the NHS which costs £75.30. Private dentists usually charge anywhere within the range from around £250 to £350 for the treatment. The cost varies based on the location of the tooth in your mouth that requires the treatment.
Cost for tooth extraction
A tooth extraction is a Band II treatment at the NHS, inform dentists working at the SW19 Confidental Dental Clinic in London. The cost is £75.30. At private surgeries they charge anywhere between £120 and £280 for the procedure.