Anyone familiar with the NHS will know that it’s this system that entitles taxpayers to free healthcare. This also extends into the dental care industry, though eligibility is a little more complicated, with limited NHS patient availability and chargeable services muddying the waters and causing confusion across practices in Essex and beyond.
In this blog, we’re sharing exactly what it means to be an NHS patient, what you should expect to pay for, who is eligible for NHS treatment, and how to apply to register as an NHS dental patient.
What Treatments are Covered Under NHS Funding?
Every dental practice across the UK can access NHS funding for a certain number of patients and treatments. Practices must hit these targets in order to receive funding, but must also stay within the target range, i.e., not giving out too many appointments on an NHS-funded basis.
This means that practices are limited in the number of patients they can see under NHS funding, and the kinds of treatments that they can offer. Typically, NHS funding is applicable to structural dental work and examinations, with patients paying a set amount under one of three bands. The band they fall into, and the set fee they pay, depends on the kind of treatment they need. The aim of these bands is to limit the amount a patient has to pay, with emergency dental treatment (for example, pain relief) costing a set fee of £27.40, while a Band 2 course of treatment (for example, root canal work or a filling) costs £75.30.
Aesthetic dentistry is never funded, even for those who are registered as NHS patients with their local practice.
Ami I Eligible for NHS Dental Funding?
Dental practices across the UK can accept and treat a certain number of NHS patients, with most managing a waiting list of patients to be moved from self-funded treatment to NHS treatment when a space opens up. In order to be deemed eligible for NHS funding, a patient must have had a check-up within four years, meeting the NHS guidelines, which state “no more than two years should elapse between examinations”, with an extra two years added as a COVID-19 grace period.
Regular attendees are given first refusal of NHS patient slots, with a series of missed appointments meaning your patient status will be moved back to self-funded.
How to Apply for NHS Patient Status
If you’d like to transition from self-funding to NHS patient status, the best thing to do is to contact your local practice and find out if they are currently accepting new NHS patients. If so, you can put your name down and book an appointment. If not, we recommend adding your name to a waiting list, visiting the dentist on a self-funded basis in the meantime to keep on top of good oral health and hygiene.
