A check-up costs R250 to R500 in 2026. A clean is around R650. A filling runs R600 to R2 000 a tooth, an extraction R380 to R1 500, and a crown R2 500 to R4 500. Those are real figures from dentists who publish their price lists, which most do not. Being on medical aid does not make any of it free.
Quick facts
| Procedure | Typical 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Consultation or check-up | R250 to R500 |
| Scale and polish (clean) | R593 to R650 |
| Composite filling, per tooth | R600 to R2 000 |
| Simple extraction | R380 to R1 500 |
| Impacted wisdom tooth | R1 500 to R4 000 |
| Root canal, general dentist | R2 500 to R6 000 |
| Crown, front tooth | From R2 500 |
| Crown, back tooth | From R4 500 |
| Teeth whitening | R2 500 to R5 500 |
| Full upper and lower dentures | Around R8 000 |
| Single full denture | Around R5 500 |
| Partial denture, 1 to 3 teeth | Around R3 500 |
| Dental implant | R20 000 to R200 000 |
| Braces, conventional | R15 500 to R31 000 |
| Clear aligners or lingual braces | R30 000 to R51 500 |
Most dentists will not tell you the price
Search for dental prices and you will mostly find practices explaining their billing policy rather than their fees. Big Bay Dental states that it charges Discovery medical aid rates. Nelspruit Dentist says its fees are medical aid fees and that it will give you a written quotation before starting.
That is not evasive. It is how dental billing works. A practice bills against your medical scheme’s tariff, and the tariff differs by scheme and plan, so there is no single price to publish.
But some dentists do publish, and those price lists are the most honest data available. The figures above are built from them.
What published price lists actually show
Potchefstroom Dentist publishes a complete price list. It is the clearest single source of dental pricing in the country:
| Procedure | Price |
|---|---|
| Dental consultation | R500 |
| Dental cleaning | R650 |
| Extraction | R750 |
| Impacted wisdom tooth | R1 500 |
| Filling, front tooth | R1 500 |
| Filling, back tooth | R1 000 |
| Crown, front tooth | R2 500 |
| Crown, back tooth | R4 500 |
| Gold or silver | R1 100 |
| Recement | R500 |
| Teeth whitening | R2 500 |
| Full upper and lower dentures | R8 000 |
| Single full denture | R5 500 |
| Denture, 1 to 3 teeth | R3 500 |
| Denture, 4 to 6 teeth | R4 000 |
| Denture, 7 to 9 teeth | R4 500 |
| Denture repair | R1 500 |
| Denture reline | R1 200 |
The Dental People, a cash practice in Cape Town, publishes ranges: composite fillings R950 to R2 000 a tooth, a simple extraction R800 to R1 500, a surgical extraction including impacted wisdom teeth R1 700 to R4 000 and up, a root canal R2 500 to R6 000 and up with a general dentist, and in-practice whitening R3 000 to R4 500.
Lister Clinic in Johannesburg publishes a dental price list covering cleaning, extractions, restorations, crowns, inlays, root canals, dentures and bridges.
Estimate range based on published price lists and stated ranges from seven named practices and sources across Gauteng, the Western Cape, North West and Mpumalanga, surveyed July 2026. Dental fees are market prices set by each practice, not a published tariff. Get a written quotation before treatment.
Treat the outliers with suspicion
One widely cited source, published by a dental insurance provider, states that a deep cleaning treatment averages R10 000 to R16 000.
Set that against a published clean at R650 and a full set of dentures at R8 000. Deep cleaning, or scaling and root planing, is done a quadrant at a time and costs more than a routine polish. It does not cost more than a mouth full of new teeth.
The figures published by dental insurance providers tend to run high, and their product is cover against the high figure. Read them accordingly. That is also why we have built this page from practices’ own published price lists rather than from other people’s ranges.
Cash practice or medical aid practice
This distinction is real, it affects what you pay, and almost nobody explains it.
Practices that bill medical aid rates charge whatever your scheme’s tariff sets. If your scheme pays less than the practice charges, you cover the shortfall. If you have no medical aid, you pay the practice’s private rate, which is generally the higher number.
Cash practices are not bound by medical scheme tariffs. They carry leaner overheads because they are not administering claims, and they often price below the scheme rate as a result. The Dental People markets itself explicitly on this basis.
If you are paying out of pocket, ask specifically whether the practice is a cash practice, and what its cash rate is. It is a question most patients never think to ask, and it can be the difference between R950 and R2 000 for the same filling.
Medical aid does not make dental free
This catches people every year.
Most South African schemes split dental cover. Preventative treatment, typically two cleans a year, may come from your risk benefit. Everything else comes out of your day-to-day savings, which is your own money, allocated in advance.
So when your savings run out in August, your October filling is a cash payment. Being on medical aid changed the accounting, not the cost.
Check two things on your plan: how many cleans are covered from risk, and what remains in day-to-day savings, before you book anything discretionary.
The cheapest dentistry is the dentistry you avoid
The economics here are unusually stark.
A small cavity costs a few hundred rand to fill. Left for a year, the same tooth may need a root canal and a crown. That is R2 500 to R6 000 for the root canal, plus R2 500 to R4 500 for the crown, against a filling that would have cost R600.
Two check-ups and cleans a year cost roughly R1 800 to R2 300 in total. It is, by a wide margin, the cheapest dental spend available, and it is the one people skip.
How to control what you spend
- Ask for a written treatment plan and quote before any work begins. Any reputable practice will give you one.
- Ask whether the practice is a cash practice, and what the cash rate is, if you are paying yourself.
- Ask for the code. Dental procedures are billed against codes. With the code you can phone your medical aid and find out exactly what is covered before you sit in the chair.
- Ask what happens if the filling turns out to need a root canal. Get the price for both scenarios up front.
- See a general dentist first. A specialist endodontist or prosthodontist costs more, and for routine work a general dentist delivers the same outcome.
- Do not skip the cleans. It is the only dental spend that reliably saves you money.
What drives the price
Which tooth. A front tooth crown costs less than a back tooth crown. A molar root canal has more canals than an incisor and costs more.
Cavity size. A small filling costs less than a large one, and a large one costs less than the root canal that a small untreated one becomes.
Material. Composite, amalgam, gold, porcelain. Tooth coloured composite generally costs more than amalgam.
General dentist or specialist. Specialists cost more for the same procedure.
Cash or medical aid rate. Covered above.
Location. Metro practices carry higher overheads than small town practices, and it shows in the fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dentist cost in South Africa? A consultation runs R250 to R500 and a clean around R650. A filling costs R600 to R2 000 a tooth, an extraction R380 to R1 500, and a crown R2 500 to R4 500.
How much is a filling in South Africa? R600 to R2 000 per tooth, depending on the size of the cavity, how many surfaces are involved, and the material used.
How much is a tooth extraction? A simple extraction runs R380 to R1 500. A surgical extraction, including an impacted wisdom tooth, runs R1 500 to R4 000 and up.
How much is a root canal in South Africa? R2 500 to R6 000 and up with a general dentist. More with a specialist endodontist. A molar costs more than a front tooth because it has more canals.
Why will my dentist not quote me over the phone? Because the fee depends on what they find, and on your medical scheme’s tariff. Ask for a written treatment plan and quotation after the examination, before any work starts.
Is a cash practice cheaper? Often, yes. Cash practices are not bound by medical scheme tariffs and carry lower administrative overheads. If you are paying out of pocket, ask.
Does medical aid cover dental work? Partly. Most schemes cover preventative treatment such as two cleans a year from risk benefits, and everything else comes out of your day-to-day savings, which is your own money.
Methodology
Dental fees are market prices. No government body sets them and none publishes them as a tariff, because practices bill against medical scheme tariffs that differ by scheme and plan.
The figures above are an estimate range compiled from the published price lists of named South African dental practices, principally Potchefstroom Dentist, The Dental People and Lister Clinic, together with ranges stated publicly by other practices and industry sources. Surveyed July 2026, and labelled as estimates throughout.
Where a widely cited figure appeared implausible against published price lists, we have said so rather than reproducing it.
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Disclaimer
This page is about cost, not clinical need. Whether you require a filling, a root canal, a crown or an extraction is a decision for your dentist.
The figures are an estimate range, not a quotation. Dental prices are set by individual practices and vary by procedure, material, scheme and region. Always obtain a written treatment plan and quotation before treatment begins.
