NHS Treatment Bands

Dental charges depend on the treatment you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. You will only ever be asked to pay one charge for each complete course of treatment, even if you need to visit your dentist more than once to finish it. If you are referred to another dentist for another, separate course of treatment, you can expect a second charge. Some minor treatments are free.

Band 1 course of treatment –
This covers an examination, diagnosis (eg X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish (if needed), and application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant. If you require urgent care, even if your urgent treatment needs more than one appointment to complete, you will only need to pay one Band 1 charge.

Band 2 course of treatment –
This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or if your dentist needs to take out one or more of your teeth.

Band 3 course of treatment –
This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures and bridges (where clinically necessary).

You do not have to pay for NHS dental treatment if, when the treatment starts, you are:

• Aged under 18
• Under 19 and receiving full-time education
• Pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months
• Staying in an NHS hospital and your treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist
• An NHS hospital dental service outpatient (however, you may have to pay for your dentures or bridges)

You also do not have to pay if, when the treatment starts, you are receiving:

• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit guarantee credit
• You are named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate or you are entitled to an NHS tax credit exemption certificate
• You are named on a valid HC2 certificate

If your name is on a valid HC3 certificate, you may not have to pay for all your treatment. Checks are made on free and reduced cost treatment claims. If you say you have the right to free treatment when you do not, you may incur a penalty charge.

You will not be exempt from paying because you receive: Incapacity Benefit, contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit savings credit, when paid on their own.

Medical conditions do not exempt patients from payment for dental treatment.

You will be asked to show your dentist written proof that you do not have to pay for all or part of your NHS treatment. You will also be asked to sign a form to confirm that you do not have to pay.

A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids' teeth decay-free:

• You can start to brush your baby's gums with a soft toothbrush at bath time, or even let your baby have a go themselves as long as you supervise them. This establishes tooth brushing as part of their washing routine.
• Start brushing your baby's teeth with fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through (usually at around six months, but it can be earlier or later). It's important to use a fluoride paste as it helps prevent and control tooth decay.
• Children under the age of three can use a smear of family toothpaste containing at least 1,000ppm (parts per million) fluoride. Toothpaste with less fluoride is not as effective at preventing decay. Children between the ages of three and six should use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste containing 1,350-1,500ppm fluoride. Make sure your child doesn’t eat or lick the toothpaste from the tube.
• Brush your child's teeth twice a day, once just before bedtime and at least one other time during the day. Encourage your child to spit out excess toothpaste but not to rinse with lots of water.
• Supervise tooth brushing until your child is seven or eight years old, either by brushing their teeth yourself or, if they brush their own teeth, by watching how they do it.

Once you've established a good tooth-brushing routine at home, the next step is the first trip to the dentist. These tips can make this a lot easier:

• Take your child to the dentist when they're as young as possible and at least once by the time they're two. This is so they become familiar with the environment and get to know the dentist.
• Taking your child to the dentist means any health problems can be identified at an early stage. Just opening up their mouths for the dentist to take a look is useful practice for the first time they need treatment.
• When you visit the dentist, be positive about it and make the trip fun. This will stop your child worrying about future visits.

NHS dental treatment for children is free. Take your child with you when you go for your own dental appointments so they get used to it.

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