WORCESTER is the second cheapest place in the country to visit a private dentist, it has been revealed.

Figures released this week showed the average cost of a private dental check-up in Worcester was just £18 – half the national average of £36.

Only patients in Bradford were paying less at £15 per visit, while people in Stratford were charged the most at £67 a time, followed by Newbury at £56.

Worcester is also one of the cheapest places to get root canal treatment, with an average charge of £120 compared to a national average of £244.

But the survey of more than 11,000 private dental practices across the UK by WhatClinic.com also showed Worcester was the fourth most expensive place in the county to have veneers, costing on average £520 per visit, almost £100 more than the national average of £428.

A spokesman for NHS England in Arden, Herefordshire and Worcestershire said the organisation was committed to ensuring patients were able to access high-quality dental services and that practices were received the correct amount of funding.

“NHS England commissions dentistry services in dental surgeries and hospitals," she said.

"We believe that there are adequate levels of dental service provision to meet the demands of patients in Worcestershire.

“The funding arrangements for NHS dental services are different for individual practices.

"Every effort is made to ensure that providers are able to meet their contractual, financial and clinical requirements so that local people receive appropriate dental care.”

Bradford was also found to be the cheapest place for dental canal treatment at £60 a time, followed by Swindon at £85 and London at £119, with Worcester coming in fourth.

The most expensive was Stockport at £595, followed by Newbury at £493 and Northampton at £369.

Oxford was the most expensive place for veneers at £610 per treatment, followed by Guildford at £585 and Newbury at £570, with Worcester again coming in fourth.

The cheapest places were Wolverhampton at £240 followed by Dundee and Bedford, both at £275.

Worcester did not rank as either one of the cheapest or most expensive places for teeth whitening treatments or dental implants.

Chief executive of researchers WhatClinic.com Caelen King said costs of dental treatments could vary significantly over time depending on where people live.

“It’s also worth checking prices in your local area as we found the cost of dental treatments can also vary quite dramatically between dental clinics in the same city or town,” he said.

“Just spending a few minutes online comparing local prices could save you a considerable amount of money over the course of a year.”