How much will I pay NHS for 2 root canals?

cattie

I have a dental appointment later in the week & already been warned I may need 2 root canal treatments (NHS). What I'm wondering is how payment for the treatment is worked out, should I be paying 1 single payment of £282 (current NHS limit), or am I likely to have to pay 2 lots of £282 because each procedure will be charges separately? It'll be handy to know before I attend, as my dentist instists on payment before you even get to sit in the chair.

Toothsmith

Root fillings are actually a Band 2 treatment - so if it was *just* a root filling in each tooth and they are on the same treatment plan - then £65.20 would be all you'd pay. 1 x Band 2 fee.
Root fillings often need to be followed by crowning a tooth though, and that can often be put on the same treatment plan, and that would bump it up to the Band 3 £282 charge. If one or both were on the same treatment plan, and both needed crowning, it would just be 1 x Band 3 charge though.

However, there might be perfectly good clinical reasons for having to do them separately, or even to wait a few months between root filling and crowning - so at the most, there might be 2 x Band 2 charges, followed by 2 x Band 3 charges. It's impossible for me to say which way will be the best way to do it clinically - but your dentist should be able to explain that to you.

brook2jack2

These are English NHS charges. Different charges apply in Scotland, Wales and NI. 

Dzesti

Hi, I hope you don’t mind me asking. 

How much did you end up paying please? I am currently in the same situation, had my first root canal treatment done and was asked to pay band 2 fee in full. Have appointment booked for a second one to be done and not sure what to expect as I was under impression I have to pay the band fee once the treatment course is done. My treatment plan was for both root canals and a filling with total fee of £65.20 so that’s the total I expected to pay. Does it mean my next treatment will be free of charge or will they charge me £65.20 again? This is very confusing.

Toothsmith

NHS dentists are entitled to ask for fees in advance of treatment.

You have been given the costed treatment plan, which shows that all the treatment is being provided under 1 band 2 course of treatment. You have paid for that course of treatment. It's hard to see how they could have made it clearer?