Survey finds huge cost disparity in U.K. dental treatment

Huge variations in the cost of U.K. dental treatments were revealed in a survey of more than 500 private dental clinics carried out by the health search engine WhatClinic.com.

For a front tooth, root canal treatment can cost as little as $93 in Newcastle and as much as $980 in London, a difference of 953%. Similar variations were observed in treatments ranging from simple dental check-ups (from $21 to $204, both in London) to in-clinic teeth whitening (from $162 in Glasgow to $1,460 in London).

A parallel survey of 500 U.K. visitors to WhatClinic.com revealed that 84% had put off dental treatment because of the costs involved. In addition, half of respondents admitted that they would travel more than 30 minutes to visit a more affordable dentist if they could, with 23% willing to travel in excess of an hour.