Need to see a dentist, whats the cheapest option?

dllive

Hi all,

I havnt seen a dentist for years. There no particular reason I need to see one, only that it might be a good idea to see a dentist/hygenist.

Whats the most MSE way of approaching this? See if theres an NHS dentist near me thats got availability (how do I do this); and if not see ho the cheapest local private dentist is? Or eprhaps its cheaper to get dental insurance?

Thanks

Hoenir

Prevention is better than cure. Dental insurance is unlikely to cover pre existing conditions. Good luck with finding an NHS one. 

Emmia

One of the private dentists near me offers a monthly plan, which covers hygienist appointments check ups and gives a discount on treatments. There are various tiers but the cheapest is £20 a month, although I think you have to pay in full for your first check up.

I sought a second opinion on a dental issue there, but I'm going back to my NHS dentist for treatment. I'll be using the private practice for my hygienist appointments though.

brook2jack2

I know this is a moneysavingexpert site but I do wonder if people would ask “how do I find the cheapest brain surgeon” ? 

Phoning up practices is the only way you will find out if a practice is taking on NHS , you will find a list of practices on local NHS site. 

Privately the best thing is to ask friends and relatives who they use , would they recommend and how much will it cost. 

You cannot get dental insurance , such as Denplan , until you are dentally fit . Most practices will offer monthly plans which cover cost of check up, x rays and hygienist and a discount off private prices for treatment. 

dllive

Thanks so much guys, I will do as suggested.

Undervalued

brook2jack2 said:

I know this is a moneysavingexpert site but I do wonder if people would ask “how do I find the cheapest brain surgeon” ? 

Phoning up practices is the only way you will find out if a practice is taking on NHS , you will find a list of practices on local NHS site. 

Privately the best thing is to ask friends and relatives who they use , would they recommend and how much will it cost. 

You cannot get dental insurance , such as Denplan , until you are dentally fit . Most practices will offer monthly plans which cover cost of check up, x rays and hygienist and a discount off private prices for treatment. 

Partly because most dentists are seen as small business, in competition with each other, plying for trade by offering a wide variety of prices for seemingly the same services.

You may well feel, perhaps correctly, that is a gross simplification but I am sure that is how it is perceived by much of the public.

Brian surgeons aren't generally accessed in the same way!

Exodi

The cheapest option by a country mile will be NHS treatment, though this is easier said than done.

Reason being is that if you haven't been to the dentist for a while, you will likely need several different procedures and how NHS treatment works is that you pay for the band which covers your most expensive procedure in one set of treatment.

So say you need a check up, x-ray, scale and polish, 5 fillings, 2 root canals and an extraction - the most expensive procedures are band 2 so you would make a single payment of £73.50 to cover all of the work. £73.50 in total.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/how-much-will-i-pay-for-nhs-dental-treatment/

If you compare this to private treatment, while it varies from practice to practice, my practice would charge about £1000 for the same treatment (because it is all costed individually).

So while it may be a toss up between NHS or private for someone who only needs a filling, if you expect to need a long list of procedures, you will definitely want to try get it all done on the NHS.

But, as above, this is easier said than done. A lot of of dental practices have NHS waiting lists that are years long - this issue is famously discussed in the media. In most parts of the country is close to impossible to become an NHS patient.

Dental insurance is of no use as all these conditions are pre-existing. It would be like taking out buildings insurance for £20 after your house has burned down so you can submit a claim to get it rebuilt. Unfortunately insurance doesn't work like that or they wouldn't be in business long.

brook2jack2

NHS bands for dental treatment only apply in England and Wales and the costs are slightly less in Wales. 

In Scotland and NI fee per item still applies .