How Much an Emergency Tooth Extraction Costs in the UK

Emergency tooth extractions vary in cost depending upon the complexity of the extraction itself, so you're looking between anywhere from £80-£650.

Within that, most patients find themselves paying £149-£549 for standard procedures, which might come as a shock if you were hoping for NHS treatment at the band 2 price of £75.30 (as of their pricing update in April 2025).

However, here's what you've probably already discovered when looking for an NHS option: 90% of dental practices in the UK won't take on new NHS patients, and most of the rest have only a handful of new places a year for NHS patients. So, for the vast majority of people in the UK, private care is their only realistic option.

On the upside, private emergency dental care is highly accessible, with some emergency-focused services having same-day bookings and out of hours service available, and patient satisfaction rates are generally higher than on the NHS.

Private Emergency Extraction Cost Factors

Private extraction costs have jumped 32% since 2022, but between one practice and the next, there are two main factors that affect the final price a patient pays for an emergency tooth extraction:

1. What kind of extraction they classify it as

2. The emergency consultation cost

The cost of the emergency consultation cost itself is an overlooked contribution to the overall price. The price of the emergency appointment is just the consultation fee, and it's separate from treatment costs, meaning you're paying for both the assessment and then the procedure on top of it.

These emergency appointment costs vary wildly depending upon the practice itself, the region in the UK, or whether you're a registered patient with that practice. Emergency consultations at most dental practices range from £80-£250 during regular hours, and for those who offer it, the prices escalate to £150-£350 for evening appointments and up to £500 for out-of-hours care if available.

However, some emergency focused dental services offer same-day appointments as low as £20, and their extraction prices tend to be much more competitive than general dental practices too. These kind of practices are more experienced with emergency work, so they tend to not charge as much for the assessment.

Private Cost Ranges by Procedure Complexity

Simple extractions are the majority of tooth extractions performed by dentists. If a dentist spots anything that might interfere with a simple extraction, that's when the patient would be looking at having a complex extraction performed instead. So, once the dentist has done their examination and taken an X-ray, that's the only time the dentist will be able to confirm what the final price will be for the extraction. From our research, the prices that are most common in dental practices in the UK for a simple extraction are between £90-£200.

Complex extractions are quite different to simple extractions, and this is where you'll see more of a case-by-case pricing approach from practices who have a "from" pricing model (i.e. advertising "from £350," on their website but the actual price you're quoted after examination is closer to £450). Dentists have to approach a complex extraction quite differently to a simple extraction, however, so it's much more than a price premium you're paying for. These are commonly seen to cost £300-£450 across the UK, and the higher price reflects the specialized tools and careful techniques that make the extraction possible.

We have found that some practices in the UK consider complex extractions one and the same as surgical extractions, but for those who separate the two in pricing, the distinction is often down to whether any gum incisions are required.

Surgical extractions are where patients see the highest costs on average. This kind of work is most commonly done by an oral surgeon. A surgical extraction is complex dental work, and the price reflects the expertise these cases require.

With surgical extractions, many dentists classify them as either simple or complex, but due to the nature of these cases, they are most often considered to be complex. Across the UK, the price for a simple surgical extraction is between £150-£450, while a complex surgical extractions is between £300-£650. Patients who go directly to a specialist oral surgeon (in the UK, this means they have undergone a specialist training program) rather than a non-specialist dentist, tend to pay 50-100% more.

Wisdom tooth removal prices are the most unusual of the lot. Dentists across the UK tend to price simple wisdom tooth extractions at £100-£300 per tooth, and often consider them to be a simple tooth extraction rather than priced as a wisdom tooth extraction.

However, if the the wisdom tooth is impacted, the extraction is complex or even requires oral surgery. Most dental practices in the UK price a complex tooth extraction between £300-£600, and surgical extractions tend to be priced around the same. The most complex and unusual cases where a patient's wisdom teeth require hospital treatment and general anesthesia, can reach anywhere between £450-£1,550.

Multiple extractions do usually offer some relief through bulk pricing, even if the dentist doesn't explicitly state so on their price list. Most practices provide 10-20% discounts when you're having three or more teeth removed in the same session, and full mouth extractions typically cost around £2,000 total rather than charging per individual tooth.

Regional Cost Variations Across the UK

Where you live makes a significant difference in what you'll pay for an emergency tooth extraction, and the price disparities can be substantial: up to 80% difference between the most and least expensive regions.

While you'd expect London to be the most expensive place in the UK, that crown actually belongs to the South West. Bristol dental practices frequently charges about £200, more than central London for extractions, and regionally, the most expensive prices in the UK for tooth extractions are consistently in the South West.

You'll actually find some surprisingly competitive pricing in London, typically running from £120-£200 for a tooth extraction, but it's far from the cheapest city.

Scotland and Northern Ireland offer the best value if you're willing to travel. Costs run 20-30% lower than English equivalents, with Edinburgh ranging from £70-£140 for simple extractions and Glasgow offering some of the UK's most competitive rates at £65-£130. Belfast follows similar pricing patterns.

Northern England provides relief from Southern pricing. Newcastle, Manchester, and Leeds typically charge £80-£180 for simple procedures, making them attractive options if you're in the region. Birmingham's emergency appointments start around £57 including X-rays, while the cheapest in the UK is UrgentCare Dental in Leeds who offer emergency appointments at £20 including X-rays, and are currently expanding to further locations across Northern England.

Major dental chains like Bupa and Mydentist tend to offer more standardized pricing across locations, while independent practices show much greater regional variation.

NHS Pricing (When You Can Actually Get It)

NHS dental charges follow a structured band system that looks straightforward on paper - if you can actually access it. The challenge isn't NHS pricing: it's NHS access. Current data shows 97% of new patients cannot access NHS dental care. Across the UK, over 90% of practices are refusing new NHS adult patients, with waiting lists extending up to 2 years in the few practices who do accept very small numbers of new NHS patients.

For most people, this means you're only likely to be able to access NHS dentistry if you are already an existing NHS patient at your local dental practice. Under the NHS (as of April 2025's new prices), emergency dental treatment costs £27.40 for immediate pain relief and temporary measures, while tooth extractions fall under Band 2 treatment at £75.30, which includes examination, X-rays, and the extraction procedure all together. Complex surgical extractions requiring specialist techniques fall under Band 3 at £326.70.

Regional NHS price variations do exist too. Wales offers Band 2 treatment at £60 compared to England's £75.30, while Scotland and Northern Ireland charge 80% of the dentist's fee capped at £384. Scotland does, however, providing free check-ups for all residents on the NHS. Free NHS treatment remains, as in previous years, available for under-18s, pregnant women, benefit recipients, and low-income households, but this too comes with a caveat: a patient is very unlikely to be accepted as a new patient on the NHS in any dental practice in the UK regardless of their status.

The practical reality means most patients pay private rates whether they prefer to or not, making understanding how private dental pricing structures work essential for patients in need of emergency dental care. Some emergency dental providers do layer additional costs on top of base extraction prices, such as X-ray costs, while others maintain a more transparent pricing structure.

Some Emergency-Focused Practices Offer Transparent Pricing

While most emergency dental providers add consultation premiums and complexity surcharges to base extraction costs, some practices offer transparent, all-inclusive pricing that eliminates billing surprises during stressful situations.

UrgentCare Dental operates on fixed-rate pricing regardless of timing or complexity classification. Simple tooth extractions cost £149, complex extractions £349, and surgical extractions £549 - with no additional consultation fees, emergency premiums, or hidden charges. Emergency appointments start at £20 including X-rays, making them among the most accessible options for immediate dental care in Northern England.

This transparent approach contrasts with the variable "from" pricing common across the industry, where initial quotes can double after consultation fees, X-ray charges, and complexity reclassification come into play.

Many practices quote extraction costs separately from essential diagnostic services when asked about the price for a tooth extraction, leading to final bills being higher than initial estimates. When asked about how much the tooth extraction will cost, they'll tell you exactly that, rather than how much the whole procedure will cost you.

Large regional chains like Bupa Dental Care and Mydentist offer more standardized pricing than independent practices, though emergency premiums and consultation fees still apply. Bupa operates over 350 locations with financing options including 0% APR for treatments over £500, while maintaining relatively consistent base pricing across regions.

0% APR finance is also seen available at a large number of dental practices and emergency dentistry services across the UK, usually with a similar minimum treatment cost of £500, for patients who quality. A receptionist is able to provide this information to patients before an emergency appointment is even booked.

The advantage of practices which offer transparent pricing becomes most apparent during genuine emergencies, when patients need immediate treatment decisions without the stress of escalating costs or surprise fees that can multiply throughout the appointment. Over the past couple of years, an increasing number of dental practices across the UK have been adopting emergency dentistry work in the wake of falling NHS patient uptake, and are moving to a more transparent, predictable pricing structure in order to gain patient trust.

Final Takeaways from Our Research

The 32% overall price increase in private simple extractions since 2022, combined with 97% of new patients being unable to access NHS dental care, has created a predominantly private market with these substantial regional variations.

Emergency tooth extraction costs in the UK vary dramatically based on where you are and when you need treatment, often by more than how difficult the actual procedure is. Simple extractions cost £70 in Glasgow but £200 in Bristol for the same work. And in terms of regions, the story is the very same. At the low end, Scotland averages £70-140, while at the high end, the South West reaches £200+ for identical procedures. City prices, on the whole, tend to be cheaper than in rural areas due to higher competition from other practices driving them towards more competitive pricing.

Emergency timing premiums, however, follow predictable patterns, with regular dental practices that offer them adding 50-100% to baseline costs for evening appointments and up to 300% for out-of-hours care. The exceptions to this, are specialized emergency dental care services which offer the most competitive pricing in the UK.

Practice classification methods for extraction complexity vary significantly, with expensive regions systematically categorizing fewer procedures as "simple." This classification variance directly impacts patient costs, as simple extractions average £149 compared to £360 for complex procedures.

Across the UK, transparent pricing is most often seen in with emergency dentistry services and large regional chains rather than standalone practices. What is often seen is the pattern of reducing the initial consultation fee, waiving of X-ray fees by including them for free in the consultation, and making clear what the complexity will be for the patient's tooth extraction.