NHS dental fees are set by the dental practice division of NHS Scotland, and are the same for all dental practices. A guide to common NHS treatment costs is outlined below.
Unless you are in one of the groups entitled to free NHS dental treatment or help with the cost, you will require to pay 80% of the cost of your NHS dental treatment upfront to a maximum of £384 per course of treatment.
Examples of costs for some types of NHS treatment are shown in the table below. Fees are as of 1st April 2022.
Please note that NHS fee structure is complex and varies considerably from patient to patient depending of the treatment required.
Treatment Cost
Examination no charge
Two small X-rays £5.44
Simple gum treatment(scale & polish) £12.36
Small amalgam (silver) filing £8.44
Large amalgam (silver) filing £21.60
Root canal treatment (front tooth) £45.52
Single crown (front tooth) £81.92
Simple extraction (one tooth) £7.76
Complete (upper and lower)dentures £171.04
Who gets free treatment on the NHS?
NHS treatment is free for:
everyone aged under 26
pregnant women
nursing mothers until their baby is 12 months old
those with certificated exemption from payment because of income
Please take evidence of any exemption with you to the dentist.
If your exemption from payment changes during a course of treatment, please tell the dentist.