Overview
- Band 1 check-ups will cost £27.90, Band 2 treatments such as fillings £76.60, and Band 3 work like dentures £332.10 from 1 April 2026.
- The British Dental Association condemned the increase as a “slap in the face” for people on modest incomes and said it will not put extra money into NHS dentistry.
- Access pressures remain severe, with reports that more than 12 million people could not get NHS dental care last year and around 90% of practices not taking new adult NHS patients, while 40% of children missed a recommended annual check-up.
- Labour has pledged to reform the contract that governs NHS dental work, but the BDA argues real change requires a Treasury commitment to raise the overall budget from roughly £3 billion toward its estimate of about £4.5 billion.
- The Government has announced supervised toothbrushing in schools and 700,000 extra urgent appointments, with existing charge exemptions still in place for eligible children, pregnant or recently pregnant people, and certain low‑income patients.