What a Dental Quote Should Itemise

A dental quote can look precise and still tell you very little. “Smile makeover, full set, all-inclusive” is a heading, not a plan. This page is a checklist for turning a quote into something you can compare, whether it comes from a UK practice or a clinic abroad, and it contains no prices because the point is the structure. It sits within our overview of dental costs.

We have not tried to give legal advice. Where the law is relevant we say what the source states and where we found nothing, and you should ask a qualified adviser if a dispute arises.

Why are dental quotes hard to compare?

Because the same words can describe different work, and the same work can be described in different words. A “veneer” can be a thin shell fitted after light preparation or a crown by another name. A “package” can be priced per tooth, per arch or per mouth.

A “premium” material is a marketing grade, not a material you can look up. The remedy is to insist on a written treatment plan. The Competition and Markets Authority guide advises you to ask for one,¹ and the NHS requires one for Band 2 and Band 3 work, and where NHS and private treatment are mixed.² Even outside the NHS, the standard is a good one to borrow: if a plan cannot be written down, it has not yet been made.

One order of events matters here. The General Dental Council says you should always be assessed by a qualified dentist before you are given a treatment plan and a cost estimate.³ A figure that arrives before an assessment is a guess with a logo on it, and the checklist below is meant for quotes that follow one.

What should an itemised quote contain?

An itemised quote should name each tooth, the treatment planned for it, the material, the visits, the follow-up and the guarantee. Use the table below as a worksheet. Print it, and complete the last two columns for each quote you are comparing. A blank cell is information: it means the quote does not say.

Printable tick-list

Print this page, or copy the list, and tick each line once the quote answers it in writing.

• ☐ Each tooth named or numbered
• ☐ Treatment stated for each tooth
• ☐ How much tooth is removed, in plain words
• ☐ Material named
• ☐ Laboratory named, and its fee included or not
• ☐ Temporary teeth: provided, and who pays if replaced
• ☐ Number and order of visits
• ☐ Follow-up check-ups set out
• ☐ Guarantee in writing, with duration and conditions
• ☐ Who pays for a remake or adjustment
• ☐ Deposit, instalments, due dates and refunds

Treat the guarantee line carefully. A guarantee is only as useful as your ability to claim on it, and that depends on where you live and where the work was done. Our page on guarantees and redress explains how to read the small print.

What sits outside a package price?

A package is a bundle, and the edges of the bundle are where surprises happen. Five things can sit outside it: travel and stay, extra treatment, time off work, insurance and check-ups at home. Work through each and write the answer on the quote.

• Travel and stay. Flights, any change fees, hotel nights and transfers, and who pays if treatment overruns.
• Extra treatment. What happens to the price if more work is found once treatment has begun.
• Time off work. Days of leave or lost earnings, which no clinic will price for you.
• Insurance. TravelHealthPro says to check your insurance, including cover for evacuation.⁴ Ask whether complications from planned treatment are covered.
• Check-ups at home. A UK dentist may charge for reviewing work done elsewhere, unless you are exempt from NHS charges, and the NHS says you cannot get reimbursement for dental treatment abroad.⁵

Add these to the quote before you compare totals. A low figure with several of them left blank may not be the cheaper option. If the quote offers finance, compare the APR and the total amount repayable — our guide to paying for dental treatment shows a worked example; this is general information, not financial advice.

Which questions reveal an unclear plan?

Send the questions in writing and see how they are answered. The NHS treatment abroad checklist lists the warning signs: a hard sell, a lack of information, pressure to decide quickly, no discussion of possible complications and no mention of aftercare.⁵ These questions test for them directly:

1. Why these teeth and not others? The reason should be about the tooth, not the package.
2. What is the least invasive way to reach the same result? A plan that never considered the question is incomplete.
3. What could go wrong, and what then? The answer should name complications and who deals with them.
4. Who treats me, and who sees me afterwards? Expect names or roles, not “our team”.
5. Can I take the plan and X-rays to my own dentist? A refusal is a warning sign, because a second opinion is part of the NHS advice.
6. What does the guarantee do if I live in another country? It should have an answer that does not depend on you travelling back.

For more of this kind, see questions to ask a dental clinic, and check who is giving the answers with our guide to verifying a dentist. The wider list of warning signs is in red flags when choosing a clinic.

How do you compare a Turkey package with a UK quote?

Compare a Turkey package with a UK quote by turning both into the same list: the same teeth, the same treatments, the same materials and the same visits. Then fill in the checklist for each, add the items outside the package to the Turkish quote, compare the guarantee terms and ask your own dentist about the plans.

1. Fill in the checklist for each, using only what is written down.
2. Add the outside-the-package items to the Turkish quote: travel, nights, time off and a UK check-up.
3. Compare the guarantee terms and ask how a claim would be made.
4. Ask your own dentist whether the plans describe treatment you need.

Advertised starting prices by treatment, and what they usually leave out, are set out on dental treatment costs in Turkey. As for the law, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that, where it applies, a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill,⁶ but we found no source that explains how it applies when the dentist is in another country, so treat that as a question to put to an adviser, not as a right you can assume.

Frequently asked questions

• What should a dental quote include?

  At the least: each tooth by number, the treatment planned for it, the material by name, who makes it, how many visits there will be, what follow-up is included, the guarantee terms and the payment schedule. A total with none of these is a price tag, not a plan. The checklist above sets out each line.

• Is a verbal quote enough?

  No. A verbal figure cannot be compared, checked or relied on later. Ask for the plan and the cost in writing, and keep it with your X-rays and receipts so that any later dentist can see exactly what was agreed. If a clinic refuses, treat that as information.

• Should the guarantee be on the quote?

  It should be in writing before you pay, with its duration, what it covers and what you must do to keep it valid, such as attending check-ups. If you cannot travel back, ask what the guarantee is worth in practice. Our page on guarantees and redress looks at this.

• Can I compare a package with a per-tooth UK quote?

  Yes, once you break the package down to the same teeth and treatments. Do not compare the totals directly. Add the costs that sit outside a package, such as travel and time off work, and compare the guarantee terms. See cost in Turkey and cost in the UK for advertised prices by treatment.

• What if a clinic will not itemise its quote?

  Treat it as information. A lack of information is one of the warning signs the NHS lists for treatment abroad. Ask once more, in writing, and get a second opinion from your own dentist on the plan. If the clinic still cannot say what is included, consider walking away.