Introduction

From 1 April 2006, if you are not entitled to free treatment or some help towards health charges, you will have to pay one of three treatment charges in England and Wales; this applies even if you need to visit more than once to complete the treatment. The amount you will be charged will depend on the treatment you need. The treatment charges are listed in the table below:

Treatment charges

Treatment charges
Treatment	England	Wales
Examination, diagnosis and preventative advice	£16.20	£12.00
Examination, diagnosis and preventative advice and one or more fillings	£44.60	£39.00
Examination, diagnosis and preventative advice with one or more fillings and one or more crowns	£198.00	£177.00
Urgent treatment	£16.20	£12.00

Scotland and Northern Ireland are still operating under an old system at the moment, which involves paying a fee per item, but have plans to change; this won’t be in the near future.

If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and want more information on dental charges in your area, contact the British Dental Health Foundation on 0845 063 1188.

Check whether you are getting NHS or private treatment – NHS treatment will be cheaper than private dental treatment. To get an idea of current NHS dental charges in England, see the NHS leaflet HC12, Charges and optical voucher values.

You can pick up a copy from your dentist or local benefits office. Or, if you are in England, Scotland or Wales, call the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) Patient Services on 0845 850 1166.

In Wales you are automatically entitled to free dental examinations if you are over 60. In Scotland, basic and extensive clinical examinations are free for everyone. Everyone gets free treatment to stop bleeding and for repairs to dentures.

For information on NHS dental charges in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, call the British Dental Health Foundation on 0845 063 1188. It offers free, impartial dental advice and can provide you with general advice on oral health and procedures at the dentist

Help with health costs

NHS dental treatment is free if, when the treatment starts or when the charge is made, you (or your husband, wife or civil partner) are getting:

• the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit;
• Income Support;
• income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance; or
• receive Working Tax Credit (WTC) with a disability or severe disability element.

You can also get free dental treatment if you are receiving a War Disablement Pension and need the treatment because of a war disability. If you are getting Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, you may be entitled to help with charges for NHS dental treatment. To find out more, ask at your local benefits office, or call the PPA’s Patient Services on 0845 850 1166 (if you are in England, Scotland or Wales).

Dental treatment is also free if you are an NHS in-patient and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist. However, if you still need dental treatment once you have been discharged from hospital, you would need to pay for this yourself unless you are exempt for any other reason listed above.

If you are a patient of the Community Dental Service dental treatment will not be free, unless you are entitled to free treatment because you fall into one of the categories listed above.

If you don’t get the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit, but are on a low income you may still be able to get help with dental charges. If you have savings of less than £16,000 you may get help through the NHS low income scheme:

• NHS dental treatment is free if you have a current NHS certificate HC2 which entitles you to full help with your health charges.
• You may also be able to get some help towards your dental charges if you have NHS certificate HC3, which will state the maximum you have to pay.

To apply for one of these certificates fill in and return form HC1, which you can get from your dentist’s receptionist or your local benefits office.

Tell your dentist or the receptionist that you qualify for free treatment before you have anything done. You will need to tick a box on a form the dentist gives you stating that you are entitled to free treatment.

For more information on getting help to pay for dental treatment, see the NHS leaflet HC11, Help with health costs. Pick up a copy at your dentist or local benefits office. Or, if you are in England, Scotland or Wales, call the PPA Patient Services on 0845 850 1166. Also see our information sheet no. 9, Health Benefits.

Before you have any treatment make sure you are fully informed. Make sure you know:

• the treatment your dentist plans to give you (this may be a course of treatment involving several procedures);
• whether or not you are being treated as an NHS patient (some unessential treatment may not be available on the NHS and you will have to pay for private treatment); and
• how much the treatment is going to cost (ask your dentist for a written estimate to avoid any misunderstanding).

Your dentist should explain the benefits and problems of any treatment they recommend and explain alternatives that may be available. They should also explain your dental records to you if you have any problems understanding them.

Remember that you can always refuse any treatment you do not want to have. However, if your dentist thinks it is treatment that you need, they may refuse to continue treating you. Your dentist cannot force you to accept treatment. You can stop the treatment if you are not satisfied with it or you don’t want to continue with it for any other reason. If you can show that the treatment has been unsatisfactory you will not have to pay for it.

If you are paying for your treatment, dentists can ask for payment before or after you are treated. Check with your dentist what the arrangements are for paying. Most NHS treatment can be replaced like-for-like, if something goes wrong within a year. Make sure you check with your dentist what their policy is and whether your treatment will be replaced free of charge during that time if needed.

Going private

If you are having private dental treatment it might be a good idea to ‘shop around’ as charges can vary widely between different dentists. Private dentists have no fixed fees.

Private dental care is generally more expensive than NHS treatment. You should be able to get all the dental treatment you need to keep your mouth healthy on the NHS. However, most dental practices will offer private treatment. Often they give a mixture of NHS and private treatment.

If you usually receive NHS dental care, you can only be given a mixture of NHS and private treatment if you give your dentist your signed agreement.

Information on the cost of private care should be available from your dentist or receptionist. There is no government help towards the cost of private dental treatment. Any help you are entitled to on the NHS does not apply if you have private treatment. If you are considering private dental treatment, always talk to your dentist about your choices and get anestimate of the proposed cost.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) produces a leaflet called Your guide to private dentistry. It gives advice on choosing and paying for a private dentist. You can download a copy from the Office of Fair Trading website www.oft.gov.uk

Private dental cover and budgeting schemes

There are various types of payment plan on offer to cover dental care fees; the most common are explained below. If you are thinking about taking out any budgeting scheme or insurance plan make sure you know exactly how much it will cost and what it will and will not cover.

Capitation schemes involve fixed monthly payments based on the amount of treatment your dentist thinks you will need. Once you have registered, you are given an initial health check. The dentist then assesses how much you should pay each month, depending on how much treatment you are likely to need in the future and the level of cover you want. However, more expensive treatment may not be covered by the plan. And you will need to pay for all the initial work that the dentist decides you need  (to bring your mouth and teeth ‘up to standard’) before you can take out a plan. The purpose of most plans is to keep your mouth and teeth healthy, not to repair existing damage.

If you pay into a cash payment dental cover plan, you will receive cash payments to go towards your dental care and treatment. You do not usually need to have your teeth checked before you take out this type of dental plan. But the cash you receive will not necessarily cover the cost of all of the treatment you need. This is because the sum paid out is usually fixed at a certain level for each type of treatment. 

intune* has a Healthcare Cash Plan offered through Pay Care, for the over-50s. Phone 01902 371000 for further information.

*intune group ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Help the Aged. Any profits generated from selling products or services go directly to support charitable activities.

Some private medical insurance covers certain dental surgical treatments. If you have private medical cover, check your insurance documents.