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How much do dental plans cost per month?
Real 2026 monthly prices for every major UK dental plan
Written by DentalPlanFinder Editorial Team
Independent dental plan research • Published August 2026
The short answer
A UK dental plan costs £5–£50 a month in 2026. Capitation plans such as Denplan are £13–£22 a month and are set individually after a dental assessment. Health cash plans start at £5 (Westfield) and £8 (Simplyhealth). A plan typically pays for itself once you need more than one filling or any restorative work in a year.
A “dental plan” in the UK usually means one of two things, and they are priced quite differently. A capitation plan — Denplan is the dominant one — is an arrangement with your own dentist: you pay a monthly fee set from a dental assessment, and that fee covers your routine and restorative treatment at that practice, with no claim forms and no annual cap. A health cash plan is a policy you buy directly: you pay any dentist, then claim back a percentage up to an annual limit.
The practical difference shows up in who bears the risk. On a capitation plan the practice carries it, which is why the fee is personalised: someone with more restorative history pays more, because they are expected to need more work. On a cash plan you carry it above the annual limit, which is why the entry price can be as low as £5.
Prices below were verified in July 2026 from provider documentation. Denplan fees are set per patient by the member practice, so treat £13–£22 as the typical band rather than a published tariff.
Monthly plan prices in 2026
Denplan Denplan Care
Capitation — £13–£22/month
Denplan Care is the reference point for UK dental plan pricing. Your dentist assesses your teeth and sets a personalised monthly fee, typically £13–£22, which then covers check-ups, hygiene, fillings, crowns, root canals and extractions at that practice. There is no claims process and no annual limit, which is the single biggest structural advantage over every cash plan here.
Worth knowing: You must join through one of the 6,700+ Denplan member dentists and you are tied to that practice. There is no online signup, and moving practice means re-assessment.
Westfield Health Westfield Health Dental
Cash plan — from £5/month
At £5/month Westfield Health is the cheapest monthly commitment in the UK market. Not-for-profit, any dentist NHS or private, claim from day one. For someone who wants two check-ups and a hygiene visit partly reimbursed, the maths works.
Worth knowing: Entry-tier annual limits are low and the cheapest levels exclude emergency dental cover.
Simplyhealth Simply Dental
Cash plan — £8–£50/month
Simplyhealth Simply Dental starts at £8/month with no waiting period and any NHS or private dentist. Its range runs to £50 for tiers with substantially higher annual limits, which is where it starts to compete with capitation on restorative work.
Worth knowing: Cashback model — you pay the dentist first and claim back, and limits apply per treatment type.
Boots Boots Dental Insurance
Insurance — £8–£30/month
Boots Dental Insurance covers NHS and private treatment from £8/month, with emergency cover from day one. A reasonable middle option for someone who wants an insurance product rather than cashback but does not need Bupa’s travel benefits.
Worth knowing: Routine treatment has a 2-month waiting period and the top tier is lower than its rivals.
BUPA BUPA Dental Cover
Insurance — £8–£50/month
Bupa Dental Cover matches Simplyhealth on price range but is regulated insurance rather than cashback, adding worldwide dental emergency cover on most tiers and online claims management.
Worth knowing: 2-month waiting period for routine treatment; premiums can rise at renewal.
WPA WPA Dental Cover
Insurance — £12–£45/month
WPA has the highest entry price of the insurance options at £12/month, reflecting a focus on private treatment, hygienist cover and worldwide emergencies, backed by well-rated claims handling from a not-for-profit insurer.
Worth knowing: 3-month waiting period — the longest here — and no NHS cover option.
When a plan pays for itself
| Your year | Midlands out-of-pocket | Cost of a £12/mo plan | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 check-ups only | £130 | £144 | Pay as you go |
| 2 check-ups + 1 hygiene | £195 | £144 | Line ball |
| 2 check-ups + 1 hygiene + 1 filling | £305 | £144 | Plan wins |
| Add one crown | £1,005 | £144 | Plan wins decisively |
| Add one root canal | £1,555 | £144 | Plan wins decisively |
Why Denplan quotes differ from person to person
Denplan is the plan people most often ask the price of, and the honest answer is that there is no single price. The fee comes out of a dental assessment: your dentist grades the condition of your teeth and gums, and the monthly figure follows from that grade. Someone with healthy teeth and no restorative history sits near the bottom of the £13–£22 band; someone with several crowns and a history of periodontal treatment sits near the top, and can be quoted above it.
This is a feature rather than a quirk. Because the practice is agreeing to cover your treatment rather than reimburse a slice of it, the fee has to reflect the treatment you are actually likely to need. It also means quoted “average Denplan cost” figures found elsewhere are close to meaningless for any individual — the only number that matters is the one your own practice quotes after assessment.
One consequence worth planning around: the assessment happens before you join, and if your teeth need work first, the practice will usually want that completed and paid for privately before the plan starts.
Working out whether the monthly cost is worth it
The break-even test is straightforward. Multiply the monthly fee by twelve, then compare it against what your year would actually cost. Using our regional treatment data, a Midlands patient having two check-ups (£65 each), one hygiene visit (£65) and one filling (£110) spends about £305 a year. A £12/month plan costs £144 — so it wins comfortably. Drop the filling and the same patient spends £195 against £144, which is close enough that convenience rather than arithmetic decides it.
Where the calculation stops being close is restorative work. A crown is £650 in the North and £900 in London. A root canal is £490–£700. One such treatment in a year outweighs a decade of premium differences between the cheapest and dearest plan in this table, which is why annual claim limits matter far more than the headline monthly price.
Location changes the answer materially. The same treatment year costs about 40% more in London than in Wales or the North, which means a plan that is marginal in Cardiff is clearly worthwhile in Kensington on identical teeth.
Frequently asked questions
How much do dental plans cost per month in the UK?
Between £5 and £50 a month in 2026. Capitation plans such as Denplan run £13–£22, health cash plans start at £5 (Westfield) and £8 (Simplyhealth), and dental insurance runs £8–£50 depending on tier.
How much is a private dental plan?
A private dental plan through your own dentist — a capitation plan — is typically £13–£22 a month. The exact fee is set individually after a dental assessment, so it varies with the condition of your teeth.
Do dental plans have an annual limit?
Cash plans and insurance do; capitation plans generally do not. That is the single most important distinction when comparing monthly prices, because a low premium with a £150 annual limit will not cover one crown anywhere in the UK.
Is a dental plan cheaper than paying as you go?
It depends on your year. Two check-ups alone are usually cheaper paid directly. Add a hygiene visit and a filling and most plans win. Add any crown or root canal and the plan wins decisively.
Can I get a dental plan without a dental assessment?
Yes — health cash plans and dental insurance are sold directly with no assessment. Only capitation plans such as Denplan require one, because the practice is setting a personalised fee rather than a standard premium.
Compare these plans side by side
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