Recently there have been a number of news articles claiming that dental visits have decreased in number as a result of patients being unable to afford to pay for dental treatment.

There are various explanations for this, but the most common is that the recession has hit most people to some degree and most people do not have as much disposable income as they used to; as such, dental care may have become a luxury for some. The problem with this statement is that cutting back now will have negative consequences in the future.

How much does dental treatment cost?

There is no getting around it; the figures suggest that private dental care in the UK is not cheap, but the cost of NHS dental treatment is heavily subsidised and the fees have only increased slightly year on year over the last few years. Free dental treatment is also available for children and people who receive certain benefits from the government and the NHS does provide a wide range of essential dental treatments, from fillings and extractions to dentures and crowns. Go to the www.dentures.org.uk guide to dentures and implants for info on costs.
The cost of dental care abroad is often much cheaper and this is why dental tourism has become so popular; however, there are risks attached and dentists advise patients to be very cautious.

Why you should never cut back on dental care

Routine dental care tends to be inexpensive especially if you see an NHS dentist; a check-up costs just £17 but it could prevent you from spending a lot more money in the future. Dentists are eager to point out that scrimping on dental care in the short-term often leads to complex and expensive problems in the long-term; if you avoid going to the dentist for a check-up for years on end, it is likely that you will need complex courses of treatment, such as root canal treatment and treatment for gum disease, for example.