Root canal treatment for as little as £43.60, or a check-up (including scale and polish) for £15.90, may seem like bargains for dental patients who’ve been stung by private treatment costs many times higher than these rates.

But these are now standard NHS prices. There are just three NHS rates in England (Wales has a similar, though slightly cheaper, tariff) depending on treatment “band”: £15.90 (check-ups and similar); £43.60 (fillings, extractions and so on); and a top rate of £194 for complex procedures such as crowns and dentures.