Dentist Check-Up Cost: NHS and Private, UK
What a routine dental examination costs on the NHS in Scotland, England and Wales, what private practices charge and why, how often you really need one, and when a dental plan works out cheaper.
How Much Does a Dentist Check-Up Cost in the UK?
An NHS check-up is free in Scotland, a Band 1 charge of £27.90 in England and £25 per routine visit for adults in Wales, while private practices set their own fees. At our Lanark practice a private dental examination is £70, NHS examinations cost nothing at any age, and our dental plans include two examinations a year from £24.10 a month.
Dentist check-up in Lanark ›Dental plans ›
How Much Is an NHS Check-Up?
Each UK nation sets its own NHS dental charges, so the same examination costs a different amount depending on where you are treated.
| Nation | NHS check-up | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | Free for everyone | X-rays are treatment, so most adults pay 80% of their NHS fee |
| England | £27.90, Band 1 | Covers the examination, X-rays if needed, simple scaling and advice |
| Wales | £25 a routine visit; £27.21 for an adult's first assessment as a new patient | Free if you are under 25, or 60 and over |
Charges for England and Wales are those that took effect on 1 April 2026; Northern Ireland sets its own. In Scotland the examination itself never carries a charge, but adults normally pay 80% of the NHS fee for X-rays and any treatment that follows, with £384 the most you pay for one course. Under-26s, people who are pregnant or gave birth in the past year, and anyone on certain benefits pay nothing at all.
What Does a Private Check-Up Cost?
Private fees aren't regulated, so each practice sets its own, and what the fee includes varies: some add X-rays or a clean, others charge for each separately. Here is what we charge in Lanark.
| Appointment | Our fee | On a plan |
|---|---|---|
| New patient examination, X-rays included | £70 | Included in your plan |
| Routine examination | £70 | Included in your plan |
| Examination for a child seen privately | £38 | Included in your plan |
| Small X-ray, when one is due | £10 | Included in your plan |
| Half an hour with the hygienist | £70 | Included in your plan |
A first visit takes longer than a routine one, because the dentist records a full baseline of your teeth, gums and bite and takes the X-rays needed to see between teeth. 1 If anything needs treating you leave with a written plan, priced item by item. To join us, book a dentist check-up in Lanark online; every treatment price is on our fee list.
Due a Check-Up?
Book a dental examination at 72 High Street, on the NHS or privately, online in a couple of minutes.
What Happens at a Dental Check-Up?
NHS or private, the examination follows the same pattern. NHS guidance says your dentist should look at your teeth, gums and mouth, ask about your general health and any problems since your last visit, give advice on diet, smoking, alcohol and cleaning, and agree when you should come back.
Along with checking for decay and worn or broken fillings, we look at the soft tissues of the cheeks, tongue and throat, where the early signs of mouth cancer appear, and score the gums for signs of gum disease. When X-rays are due they reveal decay between teeth and under old fillings that can't be seen by eye. We won't begin any treatment at that visit unless you want us to.
How Often Do You Need a Check-Up?
Not necessarily every six months. NHS advice puts the gap anywhere from 3 months to 2 years, depending on how healthy your teeth and gums are, with no more than a year between visits for under-18s; people with good oral health will probably need one only every 12 to 24 months. In Scotland, routine NHS examinations moved from every six months to every 12 months in November 2023, and your dentist can set a shorter or longer interval to suit you.
How often you come changes your yearly bill more than the fee itself. Two private examinations a year cost £140 at £70 each, and a single yearly visit halves that.
Is a Dental Plan Cheaper Than Paying for Each Check-Up?
That depends on how much care you use. At £24.10 a month, Plan A takes in, each year, two dental examinations with their small X-rays plus two hygiene visits with Airflow; bought one by one, that would be £360, so the plan saves £70.80. Plan B, at £40.16, adds two more hygiene visits for gums that need closer watching. Either plan also brings free emergency visits and a 10% discount on most private work.
Someone who visits once a year and seldom needs cleaning may spend less paying per visit, and an NHS examination in Scotland costs nothing. Our guide to whether a plan is worth it works through both cases.
What Changes the Price of a Check-Up?
- First visit or routine. A new patient examination is longer and usually includes X-rays.
- X-rays. Some fees include them and some add a charge for each one. On the NHS in Scotland they are part of your treatment charge.
- Whether a clean is included. In England, Band 1 covers scaling when it is clinically needed. Privately, a hygienist visit is normally a separate fee.
- Where you live and your age. Scotland charges nobody for an NHS examination; Wales exempts under-25s and over-60s.
- A plan. Spreading routine care into a monthly fee changes the sums, as above.
How to Choose a Dentist for Check-Ups
- NHS places. Ask whether the practice is registering new adult NHS patients, not only children.
- Published prices. A practice that lists its private fees lets you see exactly what the examination fee covers.
- Registration. Check the dentist's GDC number against the General Dental Council's public register.
- Booking. Online booking and reminders make it easier to stick to the interval your dentist sets.
We're taking on new NHS patients, adults and children, as well as private patients. Our practice is inspected by NHS Lanarkshire, and our NHS registration guide explains how joining works.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.