DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
Denture repair and reline costs in the UK
Dentures take a knock over the years. A plate can crack, a tooth can pop off, or the fit can loosen as your gums change shape. Rather than paying for a whole new set, a repair or reline often sorts the problem for a fraction of the price. Here is how these smaller jobs are costed, with the real prices below showing what local dentists charge.
The quick version
- A reline reshapes the fitting surface so a loose denture grips your gums again, which is far cheaper than a new set.
- Repairs cover cracks, breaks and adding a tooth back onto an existing plate, and the price depends heavily on how many pieces need putting back together.
- Denture provision on the NHS falls under Band 3, a fixed £332.10 in England from 1 April 2026, though simple repairs can sometimes be handled outside that band, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.
- A quick turnaround or a same-day repair usually costs more than sending the denture away to a lab for a few days.
- Soft, cushioned relines for tender gums tend to cost more than a standard hard reline.
- Compare the real prices below rather than the first quote you get, since charges for the same job vary widely between practices.
What people actually paid
Where these 8 prices come from — 7 named sources
- gov.wales
- nhs.uk
- gransnet.com
- manchesterdental.co.uk
- whitesdental.co.uk
- friendsdental.co.uk
- dentistryforyou.co.uk
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the dentures page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 68% less than the advertised NHS or list price for dentures.
NHS / list prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases and from a small sample so far. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Real prices, in people's own words
- £350“quoted £350 for a plate no matter how many teeth”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
The price depends mostly on what has gone wrong and how fiddly the fix is. A clean single crack is quick work for a technician, while a plate broken into several pieces, a missing tooth that needs rebuilding, or a badly worn fit all take more time in the lab and cost more as a result. Relines come in soft and hard versions, and the soft, cushioned type used for tender or shrunken gums often costs more than a standard hard reline because of the extra material and adjustment involved. Speed matters too: a same-day or while-you-wait repair carries a premium over sending the denture away for a few days, since the practice or lab has to prioritise it. Whether the work is done on the NHS or privately makes a difference as well, since NHS denture provision sits in a fixed Band 3 fee while private pricing is set by the practice. The material your denture is made from can also nudge the figure up or down, and who owns the practice and which part of the country you are in both feed into what gets charged locally, which is exactly why the real prices below are worth checking rather than relying on a single quote.
How to pay less
- Do not glue a broken denture yourself. A botched home repair can make the professional fix harder and pricier once it reaches the dentist.
- Book a reline as soon as the denture starts rocking, before a poor fit damages the plate or rubs your gums raw and turns a simple job into a bigger one.
- Ask whether your repair can go through the NHS Band 3 route rather than assuming it has to be private, since some straightforward fixes are treated differently.
- If you do not need it back the same day, ask for the standard laboratory turnaround instead of the while-you-wait service, since speed carries its own premium.
- Ring round more than one practice and compare the real prices below, since the same crack repair can be priced very differently a few miles apart.
- Mention if your denture is an unusual material or design when you book, so the quote you get up front actually matches the work needed rather than being revised once they see it.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fix a broken denture?
A simple crack repair is one of the cheaper denture jobs, while a plate in several pieces or a full reline costs more because of the extra lab time involved. Check the real prices below to see the current range from dentists near you rather than assuming a single fixed cost applies everywhere.
What is a denture reline and do I need one?
A reline adds new material to the surface that sits against your gums, tightening the fit as your gums shrink over time. If your denture has started to slip, click, or rub against your gums when you eat or talk, a reline is often all it needs rather than a full replacement.
Can I get denture repairs on the NHS?
Denture provision sits in NHS Band 3, which is a fixed £332.10 in England from April 2026. Some straightforward repairs may be dealt with more simply and not require the full Band 3 charge, so ask your NHS dentist directly how your specific repair would be billed before you commit to going private.
Is it cheaper to repair a denture than replace it?
Yes, in almost every case a repair or reline costs a fraction of what a brand new set would run to, which is why dentists will usually try to fix what you have first. A repair only stops making financial sense if the plate keeps failing in different places, at which point a new denture may work out better value over time.
Why do same-day denture repairs cost more?
A while-you-wait repair means the practice or its in-house technician has to drop other work and turn the job round in hours rather than days, and that priority handling is reflected in the price. If you can manage without your denture for a couple of days, sending it to the lab on the standard turnaround is usually the cheaper option.
Does the cost differ between an NHS dentist and a private dentist?
Yes. NHS work falls under the fixed Band 3 fee of £332.10 in England, so the cost is the same wherever you go for NHS treatment, while private pricing is set by each practice and varies by region and by who runs it. That is why the real prices below are worth comparing before you decide which route to take.