DENTIST fees will increase by 8.5 per cent next month.
On April 24 the price of a check-up will rise from £23.80 to £25.80 and a filling appointment will cost patients £70.70, up from £65.20.
GettyMillions of Brits are already struggling to see their dentist[/caption]
Health Minister Neil O’Brien confirmed the changes to MPs on Monday.
It comes as millions struggle to see their dentist, with three in 10 kids now starting school with rotting teeth.
A YouGov poll last week revealed one in 10 Brits have even resorted to DIY dentistry to save cash or because they couldn’t get an appointment.
Mr O’Brien said: “The most recent uplift was in December 2020, delayed from April 2020 due to the impacts of the pandemic.
“Whilst there has been no uplift for two years, the cost of delivering NHS dental care has increased.”
The British Dental Association said it was an insult to patients to hike prices during a cost-of-living crisis and dentists won’t benefit.
Medicine prescription charges will also rise from this weekend, April 1, to £9.65 – a 30p increase from the current price.
BDA chairman Shawn Charlwood said: “This hike won’t put a single penny into a struggling service.
“Our patients are being asked to pay more simply so ministers can pay less – the Government did not have to go down this path during a cost-of-living crisis.
“This will hit millions on modest incomes.”