While we are perhaps better known for our popular range of cosmetic dental treatments, we also offer NHS dental care as well. We currently operate a waiting list and usually accept new NHS patients a few times a year. If you are considering joining us as an NHS patient, this blog covers what it provides and what benefits you could gain by joining our private dental plan instead.
The distinction between NHS and private dentistry isn’t always as straightforward as one being basic and the other being better. It really comes down to the treatment that you need and the choices you would like to have.
The essential purpose of NHS dentistry is to help you to have healthy teeth and gums and to treat any problems that arise. It covers a range of treatments and a lot more than just check-ups and emergency extractions.
If you have tooth decay, for example, your dentist may be able to repair the tooth with a (usually amalgam) filling. If the damage is more extensive, you might need to have root canal treatment or a crown. Extractions are, of course, available when restorative treatments are not suitable.
NHS dental care also includes examinations, education and advice and X-rays when they are required. Dentures and bridges may also be provided where clinically necessary to replace missing teeth.
As you can see, these treatments that we offer on the NHS do offer a very good way of keeping your mouth healthy, but there are also limitations such as the use of more modern techniques like teeth coloured fillings for example.
While NHS dental care can keep your teeth and gums healthy, it has no significant role to play for those who want to have a more attractive smile. For anyone wanting to have whiter teeth, or even straighter teeth, if you want to do so discreetly, private dentistry in Witham is the best way forward.
It isn’t just teeth whitening either. Modern orthodontic treatments such as Invisalign are only available privately, as are veneers and dental implants, the increasingly popular tooth replacement system.
Some treatments, such as teeth crowns, can have either NHS options or private, depending on your requirement. There are usually more choices of types of crown available if you choose to pay privately for example.
This is too complex to go into in any great detail as one treatment varies widely from another and sometimes a combination of treatments are needed. When it comes to NHS care, there are three price categories. You can see the details of these on our Witham NHS dental patients page of our website.
Private care prices can also be seen on our ‘fee guides’ page. This will give you an idea of costs but, especially for more complex treatments, we advise you to have a consultation with us where you will be given a more accurate price for your treatment.
While it is largely true that private dentistry is a more expensive option than NHS care, there are a lot more treatments and options available for those who register as a private patient at Blake Dental.
Spreading the cost of any treatments that you have carried out privately is understandably important for many of our patients. There are two key ways that you can do this.
The first is a finance plan. This allows you to spread the cost of your treatment over a period of time. This can be especially useful for more costly treatments such as might be the case with dental implant placements.
The other option is to join our membership plan. To join this, you pay (currently – 2026) a monthly fee of £23.33 for a range of services. Current details of these are available on our membership plan page of the website.
There are options to ‘mix and match’ so to speak when it comes to NHS and private dental care. For example, you might be an NHS patient who needs a filling in a tooth that is visible when you smile. Rather than have an amalgam filling which would be quite noticeable, you could opt to pay a little extra to have a natural looking tooth coloured filling instead.
If you do wish to choose the private route to treat a problem that you have, you will need to discuss this with the dentist before your appointment time. There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing between private and NHS dental care. What matters is what is most suitable for you. If you would like to discuss this with us, we are happy to help. For this, or to arrange appointments etc, please call our NHS and private dental practice on 01376 501688.
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Katie Annabel Blake trading as Blake Dental is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Financing First Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Katie Annabel Blake is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Financing First Limited may not be so authorised and regulated.
