About NHSDentalCharges.com

Who runs this site

NHSDentalCharges.com is published by Digital Signet, a small UK consultancy that builds and operates a portfolio of independent consumer-information sites covering UK costs and policy. The site is owned and edited by Oliver Smith.

We are not a clinical service. We do not deliver dental care. We are not affiliated with the NHS, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), any Integrated Care Board (ICB), or any dental practice or chain. Where we discuss third-party products, such as Denplan or Bupa Dental Plans, we say so on the page and may include affiliate links where the user is helped by the comparison.

Editorial framework

Every figure on this site is taken directly from a primary source: NHS Business Services Authority charge schedules, nhs.uk patient guidance, NHS England regulations on legislation.gov.uk, NICE clinical guidelines, and the equivalent NHS Wales, NHS Scotland, and HSC Northern Ireland publications. We do not republish numbers from secondary sources.

The site is written for patients trying to work out what an NHS appointment will cost and whether they qualify for free treatment. We aim for short, specific, accurate answers. Where the rule is genuinely complex (Universal Credit earnings thresholds, the Welsh package model, the difference between Pension Credit Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit), we keep the detail rather than smooth it over.

Our reference page for primary sources and verification process is /methodology.

What we publish

• The current published NHS dental charges (Band 1, Band 2, Band 3) and their equivalents in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
• The historical charge schedule for England with annual percentage changes.
• The full list of exemptions and how to evidence each.
• Guidance on the NHS Low Income Scheme (HC1 / HC2 / HC3) and how to apply.
• The disputes and refund process when a charge appears wrong.
• Practical guidance on finding an NHS dentist accepting new patients and what to do in a dental emergency.
• NHS vs private cost comparisons using real, cited private-cost ranges from published UK sources (Which?, Bupa, MyDentist).

What we do not publish

• Per-practice prices. NHS charges are nationally set; private charges vary too widely for a national reference site to be useful at the practice level.
• Personal clinical advice. We will explain what an NHS check-up covers and what falls into which band. We will not tell you whether you need a particular treatment. That is your dentist's job.
• Marketing claims for any practice or plan.
• Patient testimonials, reviews, or rankings of dental practices.

Data review cadence

NHS dental charges in England are typically updated on 1 April each financial year. We review and republish the site against the new NHSBSA schedule on the publication date. Between annual updates, we review the site monthly for accuracy and any rule changes. The most recent review date is shown at the top of every page and in the footer (currently May 2026).

The site uses a single dated constant for the last-verified date so the footer, schema dateModified, and per-page review banner all change together when the site is reviewed.

Contact and accuracy reports

If you find a figure that does not match a current primary source, or a page where the explanation is misleading, please report it. Email Oliver at [email protected] with the URL of the page and the source you have checked against. Verified inaccuracies are corrected the same week.

We do not provide individual advice on whether your dentist's charge is correct in your specific case. The disputes and refunds guide at /disputes-appeals explains the NHSBSA process for that.