Average cost of dental check-ups vary by £44 across UK
The price of private dental care in the UK varies dramatically by postcode, with a difference of 80% in price for routine check-ups across the country. The average cost for a simple check-up is now £51, an increase of a whopping 42% compared to last year, according to new research released by global healthcare search engine, WhatClinic.com.
The data, based on fees charged by 14,000 private dentists, looked at the prices of the five most common dental treatments in 20 towns and cities in the UK. The findings highlighted the extensive differences in prices across the country and revealed the huge savings that can be made.
The cheapest dental check-ups can be found in Birmingham (£31) while Liverpool hails as the most expensive city at £77, on average – a difference of £43 in less than 100 miles. The cost can also vary drastically within cities, as London offers both the most expensive and the best value clinics with respective prices of £255 and £15 for a routine check-up – that’s a difference of £240.
Demand for dental implants has surged as enquiries are up by 87% since April 2015. The average cost of dental implants has increased by 42% to £2,814 in the same time period, making the procedure £700 more expensive, on average, than this time last year.
“The UK is well behind European equivalent surgeries for this procedure,” according to Sandeep Senghera, a former dentist and Head of Dentistry at WhatClinic.com. “A combination of a strengthening economy, a rise in awareness and affordable payment options has created an environment where patient demand is rapidly growing for dental implants, with high street dentists increasingly offering the treatment. The price of dental care has increased for all procedures in the last year, higher than inflation.”
Veneers is another procedure which has seen an increase in enquiries over the past 12 months, with enquiries to Whatclinic.com rising by 68%. This upsurge could be linked to trends in the US and celebrities creating the demand by associating success with a pearly white smile, according to Dr. Senghera. The average national cost of veneers is £457 with Belfast listed as the least expensive city for veneers (£265) and London (£559) the most expensive, on average.
The average cost of teeth whitening has decreased slightly since April 2015, by 4% to £293. According to Dr. Senghera, "Most dental clinics in the UK now offer this affordable and effective treatment and as this supply has risen we have witnessed a consistency in prices. Some dentists even offer teeth whitening free of charge as part of other cosmetic treatments."
The average starting price for teeth whitening varies across the UK by £140. Those living in Plymouth (£223) can save as much as £70 on the national average price, while those in Brighton (£363) pay over 20% more than the national average.
The table below shows the average price across 20 towns and cities in the UK for the five most common dental treatments, based on prices listed by over 14,000 private dental clinics on www.WhatClinic.com
