NHS Dentist in Lanark
A straight answer for anyone in Lanark or Clydesdale hunting for an NHS dentist: how to register with us, how the Scottish charges work and who is exempt, what to do if a tooth is hurting, and where private care fits in.
Is Any NHS Dentist in Lanark Accepting New Patients?
Yes. Lanark Smile Studios, at 72 High Street, is accepting new NHS patients now, adults as well as children. An NHS dental examination costs nothing in Scotland. If you pay towards NHS treatment, your share is 80% of the national fee, and one course of treatment will never cost you more than £384. Under-26s, pregnant women, anyone who has had a baby in the last year and people on certain benefits pay nothing.
The Plain Answer for Lanark
We're taking on new NHS patients, adults and children, as well as private patients.
So if you've searched for an NHS dentist accepting new patients in Lanark, you've found one, at 72 High Street, on the stretch of the High Street that runs down towards St Nicholas Church. There's no queue for grown-ups and none for children. Ask for a place and we'll give you a date for your first examination. It makes no difference whether you live in the town or come in from Kirkfieldbank, New Lanark or the far end of Clydesdale.
We put it this bluntly because hunting for NHS dental care can wear people down. If you've spent weeks ringing round, you can stop.
Signing Up with Us
Fill in our call back form and pick NHS place, or ring 01555 662441. Let us know who wants registering, whether that's you alone, a child or everyone in the house, and we'll offer first appointments. Members of one family can usually be booked back to back.
On the day, bring a note of any medicines you take and, if you're exempt from charges, proof of that (the table further down explains what counts). For a child, their CHI number helps if you have it. The first NHS visit is a full dental examination with one of our dentists, who will talk you through anything that needs attention and tell you what it costs, if anything, before a single thing is done.
Register with Us on the NHS
Adults and children alike: ask for a call back and we'll book a first examination.
How NHS Registration Works in Scotland
There are no catchment areas for NHS dentistry in Scotland. You pick a practice, and if it has room it can register you, wherever you happen to live. Carluke, Carstairs, Forth, Lesmahagow, Biggar and Douglas are all fine. Dental services for this corner of South Lanarkshire sit with NHS Lanarkshire.
Your registration doesn't run out. It stays in place until either you or the practice brings it to an end, even after a long gap between visits. You can belong to only one NHS practice at once, so signing up with us moves you across from wherever you were before. If you can't remember whether an old practice still has you on its books, a quick call to them will settle it.
What NHS Treatment Costs Here
Nobody in Scotland pays for an NHS dental examination, at any age or on any income. Treatment works differently. The Scottish Government fixes one national fee for each NHS item, so fillings, scaling, root canal work, extractions, crowns and dentures are charged at the same rate in Lanark as in any other Scottish town.
Adults who pay are asked for 80% of that fee. There's a limit, too: however much a course of treatment involves, your share stops at £384. A course means all the treatment planned after one examination, so the limit covers the plan in full rather than each separate visit. You'll know the figure before we start.
When NHS Treatment Is Free
| NHS treatment costs you nothing if you're | Proof to bring |
|---|---|
| Younger than 26 | None; we note your date of birth |
| Pregnant, or your baby arrived in the last 12 months | Something showing the due date or your baby's date of birth |
| Getting a qualifying means-tested benefit | Your most recent award letter |
| Named on an HC2 certificate under the NHS Low Income Scheme | That HC2 certificate |
An HC3 certificate brings partial help, which lowers what you pay rather than removing it. The benefit rules change now and again. If you aren't certain whether you qualify, ask us before any treatment, or look up the help with health costs section on NHS inform. Getting it wrong matters, as claiming free care you weren't entitled to can lead to a penalty charge.
Toothache Before You're Registered?
- During opening hours, ring 01555 662441. Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5.30pm, and Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed at weekends. You don't have to be one of our patients to be seen. A same-day private emergency visit for someone not yet registered is £85, and any treatment is priced for you before we go ahead. If you'd also like an NHS place, mention it on the phone.
- Outside those hours, phone NHS 24 on 111. They'll advise you and can arrange an urgent NHS dental appointment where one is needed.
- Go to A&E or dial 999 if a swelling is making it hard to breathe, swallow or see, or if bleeding won't stop.
Children and Teenagers
Children are registered and treated on the NHS. We like to meet babies once the first tooth breaks through, and by the first birthday at the latest. NHS dentistry is completely free for under-26s in Scotland, so a child's examinations, fillings and preventive care cost nothing.
Under Childsmile, Scotland's national programme for children's teeth, NHS practices give parents guidance on brushing and diet and, from the age of two, paint on fluoride varnish to help protect the enamel. Our children's dentist guide walks through the first few visits.
Private Care, If You'd Like It
| Private appointment | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Initial examination for a new patient, with X-rays | £70 |
| Examination once you're a patient | £70 |
| Half an hour with the hygienist | £70 |
| Same-day emergency appointment (free for plan members) | £85 |
| Monthly dental plan | £24.10 for Plan A, £40.16 for Plan B |
An NHS place doesn't shut the door on private options. You can register with us on the NHS and still choose a plan for extra hygiene visits, or pay privately for one particular treatment such as an implant or Invisalign. Both plans include emergency appointments at no charge. 1 Fees are the same for everyone, however far you travel. Every price is in our private dentist cost guide, and the NHS or private guide shows how the two can work side by side.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.