Finance & Payment Options

Honest, transparent information about how to pay for dental treatment at Tower Dental Blackpool — including 0% finance, dental plans, and what your options are if cost is a concern.

Why we publish this clearly

Cost is the single biggest reason patients delay or avoid private dental care. We believe being upfront about finance options helps you plan, removes anxiety, and lets you focus on your clinical decisions rather than your wallet. There are no hidden fees, no early repayment penalties on our 0% finance products, and no surcharges for any of the payment methods we accept.

Pay-as-you-go

The simplest option. Pay for each appointment or treatment as you have it. We accept:

• Cash
• UK debit cards (no surcharge)
• UK credit cards (no surcharge)
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Bank transfer (for larger treatments — payment must clear before treatment day)

0% interest finance

Most popular for treatments £500 and above. We work with two FCA-regulated finance providers: Tabeo and Medenta. Both offer 0% interest on qualifying treatment plans.

Note: 0% finance is subject to status, affordability, and credit check. You must be 18+, a UK resident, in employment or with regular income, and have a UK bank account. Decisions are typically returned in 60 seconds via Tabeo's in-practice tablet at your consultation. There is no obligation to use finance — you can switch to pay-as-you-go at any point during the application.

Interest-bearing finance (longer terms)

For larger treatment plans (£10,000+), particularly full-mouth rehabilitation or All-on-4 implant cases, we can extend finance up to 60 months with a typical APR of 9.9% representative. This is provided by the same FCA-regulated lenders. The advantage is much smaller monthly payments — for example, a £15,000 full-arch case at 9.9% over 60 months works out to approximately £318/month, compared to £625/month over 10 months at 0%.

Interest-bearing finance is genuinely useful for patients who would not be able to take on the larger 0% monthly payments, even when the total cost is higher. We don't push it, but we don't hide it either — sometimes it's the only way to make essential treatment financially viable, and it's better than the alternative of leaving the work undone.

Dental membership plans

Best for patients who want to budget routine care across the year. Our adult plan is £19.60/month and includes:

• 2 examinations per year
• 2 hygienist appointments per year
• Necessary X-rays
• 20% discount on most restorative treatment (excludes laboratory fees)
• Access to our nervous-patient sedation service at member rates
• Worldwide dental emergency assistance (via Denplan)

Children's plans start at £9.99/month and cover similar routine preventive care. Plans are administered by Practice Plan or Denplan and operate by Direct Debit. You can read the full terms on our dental plans page.

Dental insurance

If you have private dental insurance — for example through Bupa, AXA Health, Vitality, Aviva, Westfield Health, Simplyhealth or HSF — you can use it at Tower Dental. The standard process is:

1. You pay us in full at the time of treatment (using any of the methods above)
2. We give you an itemised receipt with our practice name, GDC numbers, and treatment codes
3. You submit the claim to your insurer (most allow online claims with the receipt as a PDF)
4. Your insurer reimburses you directly, typically within 5–10 working days

This is the standard arrangement at most UK private dental practices. We cannot bill insurers directly because we are not an insurance-network practice — but you generally don't lose anything financially by paying us first and claiming back.

Healthcare cash plans (HSF, Simplyhealth)

If you have a healthcare cash plan rather than full private dental insurance, the process is identical: pay us, claim back. Cash plans typically reimburse a fixed annual amount (e.g. £100–£300) toward dental costs regardless of treatment type. They work well alongside our membership plan if you have both.

If cost is a real barrier

Please tell us. We will sit down with you and review your options honestly. Sometimes there are clinically valid lower-cost alternatives (e.g. composite bonding instead of veneers, a partial denture instead of an implant). Sometimes treatment can be staged over 6–12 months to spread the cost. Sometimes it makes sense to start a dental membership plan to access the 20% restorative discount. And sometimes the right answer is to refer you back to NHS care, which we'll do without judgement if it's clinically appropriate.

We never pressure patients into treatment. If a treatment plan looks too expensive, that's a conversation, not a closed door.

Frequently asked questions