General dentistry in London

General dentistry is the routine care most people need most of the time: check-ups, fillings, crowns, bridges, extractions. 1,523 London practices name general dentistry on their own websites. 1,139 publish a price for one or more of the treatments in this bucket.

What general dentistry costs in London

The London median advertised starting price is £75, sitting between the routine appointments and simple restorative work most patients come in for. The full spread across published prices runs from around £40 for a check-up in outer London up to £900 or more for a crown in the centre.

Because “general dentistry” covers so many different treatments, the fairest way to compare is by specific procedure:

• A private check-up in London runs to a median of £55, with most practices between £40 and £75. See dental check-ups in London for the borough breakdown.
• A hygienist appointment is £75 across the city on the same measure. See dental hygienist in London.
• A white filling typically starts at £120 to £200 depending on the tooth and the material.
• A crown or bridge has a much wider range - median £650, most between £450 and £850. See dental crowns and bridges in London.
• A tooth extraction starts around £180, though a surgical extraction of a wisdom tooth can be several hundred more. See oral surgery in London.

The borough table below is a general index of what “everyday work” costs, drawn from the whole general-dentistry price set. It is a fair guide to whether a borough is cheap or dear overall, but for any specific treatment the linked hub above is a better answer.

Private, NHS, or a payment plan

Three common ways to pay for general dentistry:

• NHS is the cheapest by a wide margin. Three fixed national charge bands cover almost everything general dentists do: Band 1 (£26.80) for a check-up, Band 2 (£73.50) for treatment including fillings and extractions, Band 3 (£319.10) for crowns and bridges. Same everywhere in England. The problem is access: most London practices with NHS lists are currently closed to new adult patients. See NHS dentists in London.
• Private pay-as-you-go is what the borough table on this page shows. You pay per appointment or per treatment at the practice’s own rates.
• A dental plan (Denplan, Practice Plan, or an in-house plan) charges a fixed monthly fee that covers routine care and gives you a discount on treatments. Costs typically £15 to £30 a month. Worth doing the maths for your household: if you would visit two or three times a year anyway, it often works out cheaper than pay-as-you-go, and it forces the habit.

What to look for in a practice

For most people, the useful questions are boring:

• Is the practice actually close to home or work? Convenience is the difference between two check-ups a year and none.
• Are they taking new patients? Ring first rather than assume.
• What are the opening hours? A practice that opens on Saturday is much easier to fit in.
• Do they accept your dental plan if you have one?
• If you have a specific concern, do they do it in-house or refer out?

Every practice page on Dentist-London.com shows the practice’s own published fees, opening hours, Google reviews and CQC registration in one place, so you can compare a few before ringing.

By borough and treatment

• Find a dentist in your borough - all 33 borough directories
• How much a dentist costs in London - every treatment, NHS and private
• London Dental Cost Index - all 32 boroughs ranked by cost

This information is a general guide and is not a substitute for professional dental advice. Always consult a qualified dentist about your individual circumstances.

Written and reviewed by the Dentist-London.com Editorial team. Last reviewed 14 August 2026. Prices shown are indicative ranges, not quotes - confirm costs directly with the practice.