PRIVATE dentists are cashing in with “eye-watering” price hikes as government dithers on its election promises for NHS dentistry, campaigners said today.
New research has revealed up to 32 per cent inflation-busting rises to many treatments over the past two years.
The analysis by MyTribe Insurance, which tracks the cost of private health insurance and also different types of paid-for healthcare across Britain, found the average cost of a white filling has gone from £105 to £129 — up 23 per cent.
An extraction has risen by 32 per cent to £139; a half-hour scale-and-polish is now £75, up from £65; and an initial consultation for a new patient is up 23 per cent from £65 to £80.
A routine check-up has also gone up from £48 to £55, while having a tooth out will put you back £435 in the east of England, and £350 in the south-east and south-west.
Patients Association chief executive Rachel Power said: “Given these big recent price rises, some of the prices now being charged for private dental treatment are eye-watering and beyond the budgets of many, many people who need help with their dental health.”
Mark Jones of Toothless in England said: “For more than 10 years, our communities have seen NHS dental services gradually deteriorate to the point where they have become almost non-existent.
“The government must start fulfilling its election-related pledges. We’ll keep holding them responsible until everyone who needs NHS dental care can get it.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “This government is committed to rebuilding NHS dentistry, but it will take time.”
