Key takeaways
- Material choice is the biggest single driver of a filling fee, and composite is the default in most cases now.
- The number of fillings found at the examination sets your final quote, not the number you expected before you flew.
- In England, an NHS Band 2 course (£76.60 from April 2026) covers a whole course of fillings. That is a useful comparison anchor.
- A filling is rarely worth a dedicated trip on its own. It usually makes sense alongside other treatment.
- Any change to the plan after examination needs your express agreement before work starts.
What drives the price
Two variables move a filling quote more than anything else: what the filling is made of, and how many teeth actually need one.
Material comes first. Amalgam, the traditional silver filling, is on its way out across Europe. The EU banned the manufacture and export of new dental amalgam from January 2025, and the UK is running its own phase-down rather than an outright ban, as the NHS Business Services Authority explains. The practical result for anyone quoting a filling today is that tooth-coloured composite is the default in most cases, with ceramic or gold inlays sitting further up the scale where a cavity is too large for a direct filling.
Then there is the count. Remote assessment from photographs and an existing X-ray gives a clinic a rough picture, not a full one. Decay between teeth and beneath old restorations often shows up only on examination and fresh radiographs. So the honest way to read a pre-travel filling quote is as a provisional figure, priced per tooth, that firms up chairside.
Size and depth matter too. A deep cavity close to the nerve may need a liner, or may turn out to need root canal treatment instead of a filling, which is a different procedure at a different price. Our root canal cost breakdown covers that scenario.
Itemised breakdown
There is no universal price list for fillings abroad. What matters is that the written quote separates its parts, so you can see what changes if the plan changes:
- The filling fee itself, set by the clinic, stated per tooth rather than as a lump sum.
- Material, named specifically: composite, glass ionomer, ceramic or gold, and whether an inlay involves lab work.
- Examination and radiographs, and whether those are charged separately or folded into the treatment.
- Local anaesthetic, where the clinic itemises it.
- Hotel and transfers, only where the clinic's package includes them, with the provider identified.
- The review schedule: what follow-up contact you get after the appointment.
- Medicines, if anything is prescribed.
Flights are usually not part of a clinic's package, so budget those separately, along with anything the quote lists as excluded.
Country comparison
The figures below are externally sourced context, not quotes. The only figure that applies to you is the clinic's written quote for your case.
The NHS banding is worth understanding before you compare anything. One Band 2 charge covers the whole course, whether that is one filling or six, which is very different from the per-tooth pricing you will see abroad and in UK private practice. For clinics abroad there is no equivalent tariff, and reputable per-procedure price lists are not published, so any list you find online is marketing rather than a source. Comparing what each written quote includes is more useful than comparing headline numbers. Our dental treatment cost breakdown sets out how whole-trip costs fit together.
What a GetClinic quote itemises
Before you book travel, your coordinator prepares your case for the clinic's dentist: your photographs, any existing X-rays and your dental history, organised so the clinic can assess it properly. The clinic then issues a written, itemised quote.
For fillings, that quote names the material, prices per tooth, and states which teeth are included. It lists examination and imaging as their own lines, and identifies anything the clinic's package covers, such as hotel or transfers, with the provider named. It also records the review schedule.
What the quote cannot do is see through your enamel. If the chairside examination finds more decay, or finds that a tooth needs root canal treatment rather than a filling, the clinic sets out a revised plan and price. Nothing goes ahead without your express agreement. We verify each clinic's licence and registration administratively before listing it, which is verification rather than a guarantee.
Hidden costs to ask about
The General Dental Council's guidance on going abroad for dental treatment suggests three blunt questions. Who pays for extra flights, hotel nights or remedial work? Is treatment for complications included in the price? And are you comfortable knowing that a dentist abroad sits outside GDC jurisdiction, so UK complaint routes will not apply?
For fillings specifically, add these:
- Is the quote per tooth, and what happens to the total if the examination finds more cavities?
- Is the material named in writing, and who chooses it if the dentist recommends a different one?
- If a filling fails or falls out after you return home, who pays to replace it?
That last question is not hypothetical. In a British Dental Association survey analysed in the British Dental Journal, 86% of UK dentists reported treating complications from dental work carried out abroad, with remedial care commonly costing £500 to £1,000, and a fifth of those dentists reporting at least one patient whose bill exceeded £5,000 (BDA, BDJ). Failed overseas work is not redone free on the NHS.
FAQ
Is it worth flying abroad just for a filling?
Rarely, on its own. Once flights and a hotel are counted, a single filling seldom justifies a trip. Fillings more often appear as one line inside a larger plan, alongside crowns, implants or extractions. Our dental filling guide explains what the appointment involves.
Why is composite quoted instead of amalgam?
Because amalgam is being withdrawn across Europe. New amalgam has been banned in the EU since January 2025, and the UK is phasing it down. Most clinics abroad now work in composite by default, which is also tooth-coloured.
Can the price change after I receive a quote?
Yes, in one legitimate situation: the examination and fresh radiographs on arrival find something remote assessment could not. The clinic must then explain the revised plan and its price. Nothing is added or changed without your express agreement.
How long should I stay for fillings?
Straightforward fillings are usually completed in a single appointment, so the visit itself is short. Build in a buffer day if other work is planned, and ask the clinic to confirm the schedule in writing before you book flights.
Is this medical advice?
No. This is general information to help you prepare questions and read quotes. Clinical advice, including whether a tooth needs filling and with what, comes from the clinic's dentist who has examined you.