Are dental implants available on the NHS?

The short answer: usually not.

Dental implants are a good treatment option for replacing missing teeth. Implants are titanium “roots” which are surgically placed into your jaw bone. They can be used as a foundation to support a single tooth (implant retained crown), multiple teeth (implant retained bridge), or all the teeth (implant retained denture).

Implants are relatively expensive – costing thousands of pounds per implant “root” that is needed. The government simply does not allocate enough public funding for NHS dentists to provide implants to every patient with missing teeth.

When are dental implants funded by the NHS

Currently dental implants are only funded by the NHS in very special circumstances. Examples of special circumstances where implants may be funded by the NHS include:

• Patients having facial reconstruction after head and neck cancer treatment
• Soldiers having facial reconstruction after facial trauma
• Patients with genetic conditions causing missing teeth (hypodontia)
• Patients with no lower teeth where a full denture is not providing a functional result

Even in the examples above, implants may not be an appropriate option for every circumstance. Smokers for example won’t usually qualify even in the above circumstances unless they give up smoking.

When are dental implants not funded by the NHS

Patients who have lost teeth due to dental decay, gum diseased or failed/old dental treatment will not qualify for implant funding by the NHS. They may however, qualify for an NHS denture or bridge.

You might also be interested in some of our popular dental guides and FAQ:

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• Should I switch to a bamboo toothbrush?
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• How to register with an NHS dentist
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• How much does NHS dental treatment cost?
• Tooth decay – how to prevent and treat tooth decay at home
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• Wisdom teeth – pain, problems, extractions and crowding
• Which drinks are tooth-kind? and which are tooth-cruel?