Private fees across UK compared
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- Published: Thursday, 10 April 2014 07:44
- Written by News Editor
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The DailyTelegraph has published a survey of private dental fees compiled by WhatClinic.com, a private health care online search engine. It showed that the cost of private dental care can vary by as much as 347pc depending on where patients live in the UK. It’s described as ‘a postcode lottery’ and a classic sign of an ‘inefficient market’, according to some experts.
WhatClinic.com looked at the fees charged by more than 11,000 private dentists across Britain for some of the most common treatments, such as root canal surgery and teeth-whitening. The cost of a check-up, for example, is £67 in a Stratford-upon-Avon dental surgery, but only £15 in Bradford. Teeth-whitening costs £600 in London, but just £163 in Portsmouth. Oxford was found to be the most expensive place to get veneers (£610), with the average cost across the UK at £428. Wolverhampton offers the best deal at £240. Root canal treatment in Stockport would cost £595, but just £85 in Swindon.
The stark variations in costs are likely down to the “lack of transparency in dentistry” a spokesman for WhatClinic said. “The market is not efficient, and like all inefficient markets, price discrepancy is created by a lack of knowledge by both the consumer and the businesses providing the services. The way things stand, patients don’t tend to shop around. And that means there is very little incentive for the practice owner to price competitively.”
Caelen King, CEO of WhatClinic, told the Telegraph that people looking for private dental treatment to go online to check the prices of dentists in their area, as the costs can vary dramatically between clinics in the same city or town. “Just spending a few minutes online comparing local prices could save you a considerable amount of money over the course of a year,” he said.
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