Dental Costs in Lagos
4 dental procedures with prices across general/public hospitals, standard private clinics, and premium specialist hospitals.
Dental procedures in Lagos
Cost ranges across hospital tiers
| Procedure | General/Public | Private | Premium | HMO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dental Checkup & Cleaning Oral examination + scaling and polishing. Recommended twice a year but most Lagosians visit only when in pain. | ₦5K–10K | ₦10K–25K | ₦15K–35K | Covered on plans with dental benefit |
Tooth Extraction Simple extraction of one tooth including local anaesthesia. Surgical extraction (impacted wisdom tooth) costs significantly more. | ₦5K–15K | ₦10K–30K | ₦15K–50K | Free for simple extraction on most dental plans |
Root Canal Treatment Endodontic treatment to save an infected tooth. Includes cleaning, filling, and crown. Alternative to extraction. | ₦30K–60K | ₦50K–150K | ₦80K–250K | Partially covered or not covered on basic plans |
Dental FillingCOMMON Composite or amalgam filling for cavities. Cost depends on size and material. | ₦5K–15K | ₦10K–30K | ₦15K–40K | Covered on dental plans |
HMO plans that cover dental
3 plans with relevant coverage
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Network | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MyCoverGeniusCHEAPEST ZenCare · Standard Families and individuals needing comprehensive coverage including maternity, chronic care, dental, and mental health. 📞 Telemed📱 App | ₦10,000 per month | ₦120,000 | 1,600 hospitals | 🩺 Outpatient🛏 Inpatient🔪 Surgery🤰 Maternity🦷 Dental👁️ Optical💊 Chronic🧠 Mental |
Reliance Health Premium Family · Premium Full family coverage including maternity, dental, optical, chronic, and mental health. 📞 Telemed📱 App | ₦13,500 per month | ₦162,000 | 800 hospitals | 🩺 Outpatient🛏 Inpatient🔪 Surgery🤰 Maternity🦷 Dental👁️ Optical💊 Chronic🧠 Mental |
Hygeia HyFamily · Family Families wanting the widest hospital network. Maternity, dental, optical all included. 📞 Telemed📱 App | ₦19,176 per month | ₦230,112 | 2,000 hospitals | 🩺 Outpatient🛏 Inpatient🔪 Surgery🤰 Maternity🦷 Dental👁️ Optical💊 Chronic🧠 Mental |
📝 The Lagos context
Dental care in Lagos runs on the same tiered logic as the rest of the city's healthcare: what you pay depends far more on where you go than on the procedure itself. A scale-and-polish, a filling or an extraction costs a modest amount at a government or teaching-hospital dental clinic, noticeably more at a standard private practice, and several times that at a premium Victoria Island or Ikoyi clinic offering the same treatment in a plusher setting. Root canals, crowns and orthodontics (braces) sit at the higher end and are where the bills climb fastest.
The catch that surprises many families is HMO coverage. Dental is one of the most commonly excluded or heavily limited benefits on Nigerian health plans — basic consultations and simple extractions may be covered, but fillings, root canals, crowns and braces are often capped, excluded or need a premium plan. That means a lot of dental work in Lagos is paid out of pocket, and the price you are quoted is frequently the price you pay.
Because the same procedure varies so widely, it pays to ask for the full cost up front — including materials, follow-ups and any lab work for crowns or dentures — and to compare a couple of clinics rather than assume prices are fixed. Government teaching hospitals (like LUTH) offer the lowest rates for major work if you can manage the wait, while private clinics trade a higher price for speed and comfort. For routine cleaning and check-ups, the gap between tiers is smaller; for big-ticket work, choosing the right tier is the single biggest lever on what you spend.