NHS or Private Care?
What the NHS pays for and what it costs you, what changes when you go private, how to combine the two, and how NHS places work at our Hamilton practice.
Should I Choose an NHS or a Private Dentist in Scotland?
Both look after your teeth to the same clinical standard. In Scotland, the NHS pays for clinically necessary care: examinations cost nothing at any age, and under-26s pay nothing for treatment either; other adults pay 80% of the fee, capped at £384 a course. Private care adds longer appointments, more choice of materials, and treatments the NHS doesn't fund, such as implants and Invisalign. In Hamilton we offer both, and plenty of people use a mix.
Side by Side
| Feature | NHS | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | A healthy, pain-free, working mouth | Health first, then appearance, comfort and choice |
| Examination | Free for everyone in Scotland | £70 for new patients, including X-rays |
| Treatment fees | Set nationally; 80% paid by most adults, up to £384 a course | Set by the practice, fixed in writing first |
| Materials | What's clinically necessary | Wider choice, such as white fillings on back teeth and ceramic crowns |
| Cosmetic work, implants, Invisalign | Not funded | Available |
| Hygiene | Where your gums clinically need it | As often as you like, with Airflow |
The clinical standard is the same. A private appointment isn't better dentistry; it buys time, choice and access to treatments the NHS was never set up to pay for.
What the NHS Pays For
Scottish NHS dentistry pays for the care that's clinically necessary for a sound, healthy mouth: examinations, X-rays, scaling where your gums need it, fillings, root canal treatment, extractions, crowns and dentures, all where they're clinically necessary.
The fees are set by the Scottish Government, so the NHS charge for an item is the same at every practice, and your dentist must tell you before treatment what you'll pay. What the NHS won't fund is work done mainly for looks. Whitening, composite bonding, veneers, Invisalign and implants are private wherever you go. A filling on a back tooth is NHS-funded; choosing tooth-coloured composite for it instead of amalgam is usually a private upgrade.
Want to Know What's Available?
Ask for a call back about NHS places or private care.
Who Pays What on the NHS
| Your situation | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Any age | Nothing for an examination |
| Aged under 26 | Nothing for treatment |
| Pregnant, or had a baby in the past year | Nothing for treatment |
| On a qualifying benefit, or holding an HC2 certificate | Nothing for treatment |
| Holding an HC3 certificate | A reduced amount |
| Every other adult | 80% of the NHS fee, never more than £384 per course |
A course of treatment is everything planned after one examination. The £384 limit covers that whole plan, not each appointment. HC2 and HC3 certificates come through the NHS Low Income Scheme. If you think you're exempt, bring evidence, such as your benefit award letter or certificate, and we'll confirm it before any work begins.
What Changes When You Pay Privately
- Time. Longer appointments, so there's room to explain options, plan properly and work without rushing.
- Materials. Tooth-coloured fillings on back teeth, ceramic onlays and crowns made from an iTero Lumina digital scan instead of putty impressions.
- Hygiene with Airflow, with Simra Ashraf, our hygienist, as often as you want, not only when gums are diseased.
- Cosmetic dentistry: whitening, composite bonding and porcelain veneers.
- Implants and Invisalign, planned by Dr Nikhil Sharma, with a CT scanner on site for implant planning.
- A fixed written fee before anything starts, and the option of a dental plan to spread the cost of routine care.
Our Private Fees
| Appointment or treatment | Fee |
|---|---|
| New patient examination, X-rays included | £70 |
| Routine examination | £70 |
| Hygiene visit, 30 minutes | £70, or £100 with Airflow |
| White filling, one surface, from | £105 |
| Emergency appointment | £70 |
| Dental plans, a month | £24.10 (Plan A) or £40.16 (Plan B) |
These are guide prices. 1 For the same essential item, a private fee is normally higher than the NHS charge, because it pays for longer appointments, laboratory work and materials. Our private dentist cost guide lists the rest.
Using Both
You don't have to pick one for everything. A common pattern is NHS dental examinations and essential treatment, with private care for one or two specific things: whitening before a wedding, bonding on a chipped front tooth, a white filling on a molar, an implant where a tooth is missing, or extra Airflow hygiene visits between NHS examinations.
For each item, your dentist will set out the NHS option (if there is one) and the private option, with the cost of each, and you decide. Choosing private for one tooth doesn't move the rest of your care off the NHS. If you're registered with an NHS dentist somewhere else, you can still come to us privately for implants or Invisalign with no referral needed, while your usual dentist carries on with your dental examinations.
NHS Places in Hamilton
Here is where we stand: Children are registered and treated on the NHS straight away, and we are registering new NHS adults now. NHS care in our area is overseen by NHS Lanarkshire.
To register yourself or a child, fill in our call back form (pick NHS place from the list) or send us a WhatsApp message, and we'll book your first NHS examination. If you'd rather see one of our dentists privately or join a plan, you can, and still keep your NHS registration for routine care. Our NHS dentistry page has the details.
Why NHS Places Are Hard to Find
Around Hamilton, as elsewhere in Scotland, some practices have stopped taking new adult NHS patients, others keep a waiting list, and a few see adults privately only. That comes down to how NHS dentistry is funded and staffed, not to anything about you. Here, children and adults are registered straight away.
If you've been searching without luck, NHS Lanarkshire can tell you which practices in the area are currently registering adults. Our guide to finding an NHS dentist in Hamilton covers the options in more detail, including what to do if you're in pain.
How to Decide
- Lean NHS if you mainly want essential care at set national charges, you're under 26, pregnant or exempt, or you're registering a child.
- Lean private if you want longer appointments, a choice of materials, regular Airflow hygiene, or treatment the NHS doesn't provide.
- Mix the two if NHS essentials suit you but there's one thing you'd like done your way.
If you're still unsure, ask us. We'll give you the NHS and private options for whatever you need, with the price of each, and leave the choice to you. No one here will push you towards private treatment you don't want.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.