Private dentists profiteering from the NHS crisis by hiking their prices - as cheapest areas revealed
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Private dentists are profiteering from the NHS crisis by hiking their prices, new research shows. A comparison of prices at private dental surgeries across the UK has found the average cost of a non-surgical extraction has surged by 32% since 2022. Patients are paying as much as £775 for root canal work, £435 to have a tooth out and £325 for a white filling.
The Mirror has launched the Dentists for All campaign for a return to universal NHS access and reported on Brits having to go into debt to get cheaper private dental treatment done abroad. Many others who could not afford that have told of ripping out their own teeth. We revealed virtually no dentists in England are now taking on new NHS adult patients.
Patients are paying between 14% and 32% more for the same treatments, according to research by MyTribe Insurance, which tracks the cost of private health insurance. Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "For patients struggling to access NHS dental care, and for those who choose to go private, the dramatic rise in private dental costs places essential care out of reach for many. This creates a dangerous cycle where patients bounce between an inaccessible NHS system and unaffordable private care, while their oral health deteriorates. The stark reality is that many are left with no viable route to essential dental treatment.".
MyTribe analysis of data, shared with the Guardian, related to six common treatments at 450 private dental practices across the UK. A routine checkup has gone up 15% from £48 to £55. The average cost of a white filling went up 23% from £105 to £129. An extraction went up by 32% from £105 to £139. A scale and polish is now £75, up from £65. An initial consultation for a new patient is up 23% from £65 to £80. The average cost of anterior root canal treatment has increased by 14%, from £350 to £400.
