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Original poster

Cost of dental work

34 replies

LibbyR79 · 24/02/2025 14:34

Hi
Just wondered if I should gain a 2nd opinion. I have been quoted £50 for another consultation then £850 to have a root canal followed by a crown costing £695. I could have root canal done with a different dentist who isn't as qualified with less success rate for £650 . Are these typical prices? I'm quite shocked. I expected expensive but not this much!
Have been with same dentists for years and not sure if I'm under a time limit to get it done. So feeling a bit stuck but can't bring myself to make the appointments at the moment.

OP posts:
Miley1967 · 24/02/2025 18:26

I was quoted £650 for a white/ tooth coloured crown today ( private ) or £375 for a gold one ( NHS ) .

Lollygaggle · 24/02/2025 18:29

CerealPosterHere · 24/02/2025 18:22

Are you anywhere near a dental hospital where they train dentists? Would they do it? I read a lot of root canals fail so I’d be worried about spending so much money and it failing. I’ve been on an nhs dental waiting list for nearly two years and just got in so it is worth joining waiting lists if anywhere near you has a waiting list.

No dental hospitals will not take referrals for root treatment for students .

Bignanna · 24/02/2025 19:10

TrainTicket · 24/02/2025 17:05

For the obvious reasons that I could not afford the treatment and was in a lot of pain!
Not everyone can just find the money.

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It’s horrendous, but some let patients pay in instalments

Bignanna · 24/02/2025 19:12

Lollygaggle · 24/02/2025 18:29

No dental hospitals will not take referrals for root treatment for students .

Show quote history

I did have a root canal treatment done in Sheffield dental hospital, but I waited over a year, no good if in pain.

Lollygaggle · 24/02/2025 19:19

Bignanna · 24/02/2025 19:12

I did have a root canal treatment done in Sheffield dental hospital, but I waited over a year, no good if in pain.

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A very few dental hospitals will take referrals but there are strict criteria , most referrals are turned down and there are long waiting lists . This will be treatment with a specialist , not a student.

Most areas there is no where to refer root treatments on the NHS so any specialist referral will have to be private.

OpenCoralPoet · 21/08/2025 11:23

I was shocked at the quotes I got locally, so I ended up going to https://www.colinadental.com/ on a friend’s recommendation. The prices were way more reasonable, and they were upfront about everything from the first appointment. I got a crown and root canal there, and it cost less than half of what I was quoted here. Worth checking out if you’re okay with a bit of travel.

NellieJean · 21/08/2025 11:43

Lollygaggle · 24/02/2025 17:18

To justify the cost

a specialist endodontist will have spent a minimum of £30,000 on post graduate education, this is on top of the £80,000 student debt the average dentist qualifies with. Specialist equipment like an operating microscope will cost around £20,000 , the disposables like a capsule of MTA cement that is used to cement the root filling in place costs £90 a capsule , the disposable , one use drills will cost £40 a time , the specialist endodontic motors and other equipment will cost thousands , the room itself will cost a minimum of £200 an hour to run, the specialists indemnity (malpractice insurance) will increase and will be five figures .

Most specialist root treatments will be at least a couple of appointments , and will be at least a couple of hours .

It is hideously expensive to provide dentistry in the U.K. and the artificially low NHS fees on which practices make a loss give an unreal skewed view of what it actually costs to provide dentistry.

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Exactly. When people complain about cost for a relatively short time in the chair they forget they are paying for expertise not company along with high overheads. Obviously for those who can’t afford it the lack of access to NHS dentistry is appalling but it’s not going to change much so this is the new reality.

Bignanna · 21/08/2025 16:04

NellieJean · 21/08/2025 11:43

Exactly. When people complain about cost for a relatively short time in the chair they forget they are paying for expertise not company along with high overheads. Obviously for those who can’t afford it the lack of access to NHS dentistry is appalling but it’s not going to change much so this is the new reality.

Show quote history

I paid under a £1000 for that. Your quote was very expensive.

Cherryrac · 21/08/2025 16:05

LibbyR79 · 24/02/2025 14:53

Thank you for the replies. It helps to know that even though the cost doesn't seem justified it seems fairly normal. Thanks again.

How are you concluding that it isnt justified?

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