‘Check Before You Tick’ campaign highlights online eligibility checker for dental treatment

If you’re claiming free dental treatment - don’t assume you can claim it for free. 

Not all benefits entitle you to free dental treatment, and if you claim when you’re not entitled, you could face a penalty charge of £100 plus the cost of your treatment.

Thankfully, there’s a simple way to find out if you should be paying. Search 

“check before you tick” online and use the quick and simple NHS eligibility checker to understand if you’re entitled to free or reduced cost NHS dental treatment. It also helps explain other means of NHS support to reduce costs, such as the NHS Low Income Scheme. 

The activity is an extension of the ongoing ‘check before you tick’ prescriptions campaign which launched for the first time in September 2018, helping people to understand if they are entitled to free prescriptions and how to claim correctly to avoid unnecessary penalty charges.

What if you’re not sure whether you are entitled to free or reduced cost dental treatment and need to check? 

Nobody wants to get a penalty charge for claiming incorrectly. To help you understand if you’re entitled to free or reduced cost dental treatment so that you can claim correctly, the NHS has a handy online tool. 

The online eligibility checker takes you through a few simple questions. It’s been specially designed so that it:  

  • Is easy to use  
  • Takes less than 5 minutes to complete    

Check if you’re entitled now at: nhs.uk/checkbeforeyoutick 

What happens if I claim incorrectly? 

Claiming incorrectly can mean a penalty charge of £100 plus the cost of your dental treatment. Nobody wants to receive an unnecessary charge, so please make sure you always check before you tick. You can check your entitlement using the eligibility checker online, or ask your dentist for more information. 

What other help can I get if I’m not eligible for free or reduced cost dental treatment? 

If you’re not eligible for free or reduced cost dental treatment, you might be able to receive financial support in another way, such as the NHS Low Income Scheme. Please go to nhs.uk/healthcosts to find out more about the help available. 

Dentist Sunkanmi Oladeji Olaore said:

 “The eligibility checker is a great tool to check if you’re entitled to free or reduced cost dental treatment, by answering some simple questions, it only takes a few minutes. And if you do need to pay, it can tell you about other means of help with your costs. So always ‘check before you tick’ at nhs.uk/checkbeforeyoutick”

As well as telling you if you’re entitled to free dental treatment or free prescriptions, the online eligibility checker can also tell you about other NHS support available to help you with costs for prescriptions, dental treatment and eye care. Find it here: nhs.uk/checkbeforeyoutick