Cosmetic Surgery Price Comparison: A Five-star Treatment Might Not Be As Expensive You Think!
If there’s one thing our cosmetic dentists have learned, it’s that patients care about three things; how long their treatment takes, how good/natural it’s going to look and how much it’s going to cost.
Whilst we know as practising dentists that there are multiple benefits of cosmetic dentistry, not only for aesthetic purposes but for oral health gains, we have found that our patients are looking for quick and instant fixes to misaligned, crooked, short and worn teeth.
- Consultation
- Appointments
- Application with the dentist
- X-Rays
- Trial Smile/Smile Design
- Hygienist consultation
- The custom creation of your new smile
- Materials and components
Cosmetic procedures that cost under £500
- Immediate or composite veneers
- Teeth whitening
- Composite bonding
These treatments are perfect for patients who have little or small tooth imperfections like discolouration and staining, short/worn teeth and gappy smiles.
These procedures are not invasive and keep the original tooth structure intact and protected.
They cost less than other cosmetic procedures simply because they are not permanent or as strong as other treatments in higher price categories.
Composite veneers: From £500
These are the perfect veneer solution for patients not wanting to change the shape or size of their underlying, existing teeth.
Composite veneers or instant veneers use a composite resin material that is applied directly to the tooth and sculpted to create your new desired shape and look.
Although not as strong as porcelain veneers, the downside to composite veneers is that they do not last long and can be easily chipped and broken just like normal teeth.
However, they are becoming a popular procedure for patients not looking for something permanent, but to conceal and fix small oral problems to improve their appearance.
See the differences: Composite veneers vs porcelain.
Professional teeth whitening completed in one appointment: One arch £260, both arches £380
Often the go-to treatment for both young and older patients looking to lighten and brighten their smiles.
This procedure is often sought out by young professionals who have finished older traditional brace treatments and are looking to perfect their final smile or older patients who are experiencing discolouration as they age.
Because this procedure is so affordable, instant and can last for a few years, it is often considered one of the most common cosmetic procedures performed in the UK.
See our tooth whitening options.
Composite bonding: From £200
Like composite veneers, composite bonding instead focuses more on repairing little issues like chips, cracks and gaps between teeth.
A simple solution for patients who have broken a tooth, composite bonding restores the aesthetics of the smile making it look fuller, straighter and more even.
It is even often used for patients who want to even out their smiles as it can craft new shapes and lengths for your teeth.
However, again, whilst the low-cost price is attractive when compared to porcelain veneers, the treatment is not as long-lasting or flawless.
See if composite bonding is right for you.
Cosmetic dentures: From £750
Perfect for patients who have lost multiple teeth, dentures offer patients a somewhat quick fix to replace gaps in their mouth.
But this is not the highest-rated treatment as patients prefer more natural, stable alternatives like dental implants.
However, as dental implants come with a higher cost, with implant placement being charged at £1,250, which does not include the post or crown, patients with tighter budgets tend to opt for a mix of the two with treatments like All-on-Four that use four implants in the mouth that keeps dentures stable and secure.
Cosmetic procedures that cost over £1,000
- 1x Crown
- 1x Porcelain veneers
- Dentures
- Bridges
- Implant Placement
We’ll talk a little more about porcelain veneers further down the page because we find that our patients often have a minimum of at least four porcelain veneers, which means the price of a full treatment would be more expensive.
We have had cases, where patients require just one, where one tooth does not blend perfectly well with the others.
These procedures are not the best your money can buy, but they do offer an upgrade in terms of durability, final look and quality. Let’s take a look…
Crowns: From £1,200
Not to be confused with veneers, crowns are used in situations of severe tooth deterioration and decay.
A crown sits over your entire tooth to protect it from further problems and is often applied in cases of failed root canals.
As crowns require the original tooth structure to be shaved (unlike porcelain veneers that cover only the front of the tooth), we would not recommend this procedure for a smile makeover, which for the same price you can have natural-looking veneers fitted without using invasive techniques.
Read more: Are dental crowns permanent?
Bridges: From £1,200
Bridges quite literally bridge the gap between two teeth and are used to commonly replace multiple missing teeth.
Cosmetic procedures that cost over £2,000
- Invisalign
- Lingual orthodontics
For this price, you can straighten and perfect your entire smile with all different types of adult orthodontics.
What’s great about adult orthodontics is that they are beginning to offer patients fast and discreet ways to fix their smile without having to spend thousands and thousands of pounds.
For just a little over £2,000, you can completely change the way your bite meets and functions, as well as aligning stray or crooked teeth and closing gaps.
Cosmetic orthodontics is truly one of the most effective ways to perfect your smile.
Invisalign: From £2,000
Fastly becoming a popular choice for young professionals (even Love Island stars like Molly Mae and Olivia Bowen), Invisalign offers patients the chance to straighten their smiles in private.
Considering this payment will realign your teeth into their correct position for life, it is a small cost to pay to get the smile you wanted.
Great value for money, your multiple sets of clear aligners, custom trays, moulds, appointments and retainers are all included in your final bill.
Considering Invisalign? Read more about its benefits here.
Other adult orthodontic treatments: From £2,000
Alternative and rapid treatments like Lingual Braces and Six Month Smiles are all priced around the same amount, so it is really finding the one that works best for you and your lifestyle.
Cosmetic procedures that cost over £6,000
For this price, you can receive five veneers! For patients with missing teeth, including the placement of the implant and the crown, you could replace up to five gaps in your mouth.
Cosmetic procedures that cost over £9,000
- Full set of veneers
- Full mouth of implants
- All-on-Four/Teeth in a Day
Believe it or not, but cosmetic procedures are actually reasonably priced.
The bigger your problem or condition, the more you will need to spend on treatments.
For example, with dental implants, if you require a full mouth reconstruction this will mean more implants being placed and more crowns being used.
However, as you will see below there are multiple ways to make this more affordable.
Porcelain veneers: From £1,200 per tooth
For exactly £9,600 you can have a full set of veneers (eight), which will provide a balanced smile where all teeth match and look identical.
Depending on your oral condition, the number of veneers will vary according to your situation. For example, for some patients wanting to mask some imperfect teeth, they may only need one to four, whereas for others ten or twelve veneers might be required.
Dental implants: From £1,200 per post/crown and from £1,250 per implant placement
If you are looking to save money and would like to replace a full mouth of missing teeth, procedures and options like All-on-Four and All-on-Six might work out more cost-effective for your situation.
What cosmetic dental treatments are free?
There is a Cosmetic Dentistry Grants program (CDG) that will offer partial grants to patients in dire need of cosmetic services, for example, dental implants.
However, the program will not cover the entire cost but can make it more affordable for patients looking to restore their oral state.
Whilst it is very rare that you can get any of the above treatments for free or via the NHS, there is a lot that will be incorporated into your treatment plan that is added bonuses that are free of charge.
These include:
- Free patient consultations (online or at our studio)
- Special time with treatment co-ordinators
- Smile analysis
- Temporary teeth
- Tooth whitening can be incorporated into some treatments
Learn how you can spread the cost with 0% finance here.
Why you should shop around for your treatments
The cosmetic dental industry has developed very quickly, now treated like any other online store, the days where patients register with their local dentist and stick with them for life are long gone.
These days, patients prefer to shop around to find dental studios that match their dental needs and provide them with good results at achievable prices.
As well as searching with the intent to find the most affordable practice, we also recommend that it’s important that patients consider the dental environment and what the cosmetic dentists have to offer.
Because cosmetic dentistry is not a specialist field, any dentist can claim they are a cosmetic dentist.
Therefore, we advise our patients to be wary about booking cosmetic treatments abroad or finding low-cost alternative treatments.
We would like to point out that these cosmetic enhancements are priced high for a reason, this is because they require a lot of careful expertise to apply as well as using high-quality, strong materials.
Not only this, but some cosmetic dental treatments are priced in the thousands because they use non-invasive procedures that are made possible with new dental technology and techniques.
Cheap cosmetic treatments can tend to use outdated methods that harm the natural tooth structure, often beyond repair.
Finding the right dentist: How do they prove their results?
Instagram has become a great tool for emerging and experienced cosmetic dentists to show the detail and excellence of the results that they achieve.
Thankfully, dentists are now able to show patient similar case studies and before and after images, which prove their quality and skill.
View Dr Sam’s Instagram page here. You can also view more of our impressive before and after shots on Instagram here. Or, for more of our case studies visit our gallery.
For example, our experienced and incredible dentists like Dr Sam Jethwa and Dr Gurs Sehmi have built mass followings on social media platforms, making them big names in the industry.
If you would like to talk to us in detail about any of the above, contact us here.