PRIVATE dentists are charging Edinburgh patients around twice as much for work as their colleagues in Glasgow, a survey revealed today.
The average cost of a standard consultation in the capital has risen to £74, the second highest in the UK, compared with £27 in Glasgow – a staggering 174% difference.
More complex procedures also show steep price differences between the two cities.
A bridge would typically cost £443 in Edinburgh and £293 in Glasgow.
Private Edinburgh dentists typically charge £473 for dentures compared with just £260 in Glasgow.
Dental implants will set you back an average of £2273 in Edinburgh compared with a typical charge in Glasgow of just over £800.
WhatClinic.com, which carried out the survey, said that patients in the capital were forking out on average 42% more for treatment compared with Glasgow patients.
Philip Boyle, marketing manager for the firm, explained the survey had revealed there was no wider disparity in price between any other two cities so close together in Britain.
He added that Edinburgh patients may not be aware they could save hundreds of pounds simply by travelling down the M8 for treatment.
He said: “I was surprised by the scale of the difference- 42% – is fairly massive.
“Part of what we are trying to do is raise awareness. People will think first of whether a dentist is close to where they live or work, but even in the city there are a lot of options.
“They might be willing to travel half an hour to save £20 or for another hour of they’re going to save hundreds.”
The survey looked at more than 3000 private dentists in the UK, 50 of them in Glasgow and 30 in Edinburgh.
Across the UK, it revealed that the average cost of a standard check-up in private dental practices has risen by 22 per cent in just one year.
Mr Boyle said that what is included in a standard consultation could vary between cities but other treatments were roughly comparable.
The Vermillion clinic in Corstorphine, which treats patients referred by other dentists for specialised treatment, lists prices of between £50 for a panoramic x-ray and £16,995 for same-day implants.
Emma Offord, marketing manager at the practice, said their patients were happy to pay for expert dentistry and state-of-the-art equipment.
She warned that other clinics could advertise misleading prices.
“Some will say an implant costs from a certain amount, and the from is the interesting factor,” she explained.
“It’s often a price to get people through the door and when there’s a detailed plan it can be a lot more.”
Andrew Lamb, British Dental Association director for Scotland, said: “Within the NHS, prices for dental treatment are fixed across Scotland according to a fee-per-item system.
“However, prices for private dental treatment are set by individual surgeries. They will vary according to a number of factors including a practice’s staffing, premises and equipment costs.
“The location of a practice is one of these factors because business property rental varies in the same way it does for domestic properties.”
