A recent article in the Telegraph has highlighted major variations in the price of private dental treatment. To be fair that is not news to us as the inequalities in dental pricing was one of the main ideas behind TeethWise, however it does confirm our findings.

The article was based on a study released by whatclinic which found that the cost of private dental treatment in the UK varies by 347% depending on where you live. Experts have claimed it is a classic sign of “an inefficient market”.

The study was based on the cost of treatment at 11,000 UK based private dental clinics. Based on the information available it took the average cost of the most common dental treatments in different location across the UK. The most expensive and cheapest places for private dental treatment were:

• A checkup is available for only £15 Bradford, however some residents in Stratford-upon-Avon pay £67.
• Some clinics in London charge £600 for teeth whitening, however Portsmouth locals can get their teeth whitened for only £163.
• Oxford is the most expensive place to get veneers at £610 per veneer. The best deal is available in Wolverhampton where they are available for £240.
• If you need a root canal you better hope you live in Swindon and not Stockport. Treatment in Swindon is available from £85 while the average cost in Stockport is £595.
• Dental implants were found to be most expensive in Plymouth and cost on average £2,733. They are cheapest in Oxford and London costing £1,150 and £1,200 respectively. This is consistent with the findings of the TeethWise dental implant cost survey.

   

  It is worth noting that the information used for the study may be imperfect. For example, it doesn’t necessarily make sense that Oxford is the most expensive place to have veneers and the cheapest for dental implants. It can be difficult to compare the price of dental treatments on paper it may not be clear what materials are being used. Other clinical factors such as position condition of teeth etc also need to be taken into consideration to allow for a fair comparison.

   

  However, all things considered, there are clearly big variations in the prices patients pay for private dental treatment. A spokesman for whatclinic put this down to “the lack of transparency in dentistry”. “The market is not efficient, and like all inefficient markets, price discrepancy is created by a lack of knowledge by both the consumer and the businesses providing the services. The way things stand, patients don’t tend to shop around. And that means there is very little incentive for the practice owner to price competitively.”

   

  If only there was a tool, that allowed patients to compare the cost of dental treatment……..

   

  TeethWise is the first cosmetic dental clinic search and comparison website. The user-friendly platform allows patients to find clinics in their area and compare them based on cost, qualifications, accreditation and other distinguishing factors. It provides patients with additional peace of mind by carrying out background checks on dentists (GDC and CQC) and providing patient feedback on clinic profiles. TeethWise is committed to promoting dentistry and improving patient choice.

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