How Much Does a Dental Check-Up Cost in Benfleet? (NHS vs Private Explained)

Depending on your registration type, you will either attend a routine NHS checkup or a private checkup. The cost for a registered patient will be £51, while a new patient checkup will cost £60. For NHS patients, a checkup is in band 1 of treatment, which means it will cost £27.90.

To help you to understand the role of the routine checkup, we have put together this short guide. We’ll look at what is included with a routine checkup and when you can expect to pay more. We’ll also look at how attending a single dental checkup per year can be much more cost effective than waiting until you have a dental problem.

How much does a dental checkup cost?

The cost of your dental checkup will all depend on the type of service you request. For a simple NHS checkup, the cost is £27.90. For private care for a new patient, the cost is £60, and for a registered patient the cost is £51.

You can only access NHS appointments if you are already registered as an NHS patient. If registration is not currently available, you will only be able to access private checkups. With a private checkup, the first appointment will always be £60. All subsequent checkups will be £51, except for emergency checkups, which also cost £60 for same-day treatment.

What is included with a dental checkup?

Your NHS checkup will include an examination of your teeth and gums, with X-rays taken if required. All new patients will have X-rays taken. This checkup also includes oral cancer screening and a referral for scale and polish treatment, if clinically required. You’ll also get advice on caring for your teeth, and any treatment recommendations that may be required.

With a private dental checkup, you will also get an examination of your teeth and gums, X-rays and advice on caring for your teeth. You may be referred for a scale and polish treatment to help tackle gum disease. This checkup also includes oral cancer screening and treatment recommendations as required.

Why are regular checkups better than treatment?

The purpose of a routine checkup is to look for signs of issues so that we can treat them before they become much more serious. The benefits can be seen for both private and NHS patients.

Imagine you are a patient with a small cavity. If you avoid your dental checkup, you might save yourself £51 every 6 months, but eventually that small cavity will become a much more serious abscess and this could require root canal treatment. As a private patient, this treatment starts at £270. In contrast, a simple filling starts at just £140.

For NHS care, the benefits are even more clear. Since NHS treatment is calculated in bands, your initial checkup fee will also include basic treatment, including fillings. So if you have a checkup and we discover that you need a filling, the cost will be just £27.90. In contrast, if you wait until you need a root canal, the cost would be up to £332.10 for a root canal and a crown.

This is the benefit of preventive dentistry. In some cases, your dentist can support you so that you never need dental treatment, which is the most cost-effective solution of all.