Straight answers, no runaround

A consultation costs from KES 1,500. That covers a full examination, a discussion of what we find, and a written treatment plan with costs before anything is done. You will never be charged for treatment you have not agreed to.

Yes. We publish a starting price for every service we offer, and we quote in writing before treatment starts. If a treatment plan needs to change mid-course — which occasionally happens once we can see the full picture — we tell you before we proceed, not after.

Three things drive the difference: the materials used, the equipment available, and the experience of the person doing the work.

A crown milled from imported zirconia on a digital scanner is not the same product as an acrylic crown taken from a putty impression, even though both get called “a crown.” We are happy to explain exactly what you are paying for on any quote — ask.

Yes, for major treatments — braces, implants, full mouth restoration and complex orthodontics. You pay an initial deposit at the start, then the balance in instalments aligned with your follow-up visits. Dental implants, for example, start with a deposit from KES 40,000.

Yes — M-Pesa, card and cash at all branches.

No — a consultation costs from KES 1,500. That covers a full examination and a written treatment plan with costs, so you know exactly what you are paying for before anything is done.

Yes. Arrow Dental is SHA-accepted at all four branches — Nairobi CBD, the Digital Centre, CPA Centre (Thika Road) and Thika Town. Bring your SHA details to your appointment and we handle the pre-authorisation on your behalf, with no out-of-pocket cost for covered procedures.

Preventive and basic care — cleanings, simple fillings, basic extractions and check-ups — is generally covered in full. Major procedures such as root canals, crowns, dentures and orthodontics are partially covered when medically necessary, funded through your standard SHIF limits before any enhanced scheme benefits apply. Purely cosmetic procedures, such as whitening or veneers, are typically not covered.

SHA benefit schedules change, so we confirm exactly what applies to your case at the consultation rather than promising in advance.

Orthodontic treatment falls under major procedures, which SHA may partially cover when medically necessary. We confirm your specific coverage before treatment begins so there are no surprises.

These fall under major procedures, which may be partially covered depending on medical necessity and your remaining SHIF limits. We check this for you before any treatment starts.

Yes — routine teeth cleaning is preventive, basic care, and is generally covered in full under SHA.

We offer direct, cashless billing with 25+ partners, including AAR, APA Insurance, Britam, CIC Group, Madison Insurance, Liaison Group, Sanlam, GA Insurance, Heritage Insurance, ICEA Lion Group, Fidelity Insurance, Eagle Africa Insurance, Minet, M-Tiba and Kenya Pipeline Company, among others.

Don’t see your insurer? Send us the name on WhatsApp and we’ll confirm your coverage before your visit.

Very likely — we work with many more corporate health schemes and brokers than we can list here. Message us your scheme name on WhatsApp before your visit and we’ll confirm coverage, usually within the hour.

Arrow Dental accepts SHA under the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF), which gives civil servants enhanced dental coverage beyond the standard Taifa Care limits. Basic care such as cleanings and fillings is fully covered, while major treatments draw on your standard SHIF limits first before your enhanced benefits apply. We handle the pre-authorisation directly at reception.

We provide a receipt and a treatment summary for every visit, which most insurers accept for reimbursement. Check your own policy for what it covers before you assume — we can tell you what the treatment costs, but only your insurer can tell you what they will pay.

Four branches across Nairobi and Thika:

• Nairobi CBD — Pension Towers, 2nd Floor, Loita Street
• Arrow Dental Digital Centre — Pension Towers, 5th Floor, Loita Street
• CPA Centre — 2nd Floor, Thika Road
• Thika Town — Thika Gateway Plaza, 2nd Floor, Gatitu

See all locations with maps and directions →

Hours differ slightly by branch:

• Nairobi CBD & Digital Centre — Mon–Sat 7:00am–8:00pm, Sun 8:30am–5:00pm
• CPA Centre (Thika Road) — Mon–Sat 8:00am–7:00pm, closed Sundays
• Thika Town — Mon–Sat 8:00am–6:00pm, closed Sundays

The main CBD clinic is on the 2nd floor of Pension Towers on Loita Street. Our Digital Centre is on the 5th floor of the same building. If you have been referred for a 3D scan or implant planning, you want the 5th floor.

No — those are areas we serve, not branch locations. Arrow Dental has four branches in total: Nairobi CBD, the Digital Centre, CPA Centre on Thika Road, and Thika Town.

If you are coming from Kasarani, Roysambu or Ruiru, our Thika Road or Thika Town branches are usually closest. Find your nearest branch →

Our branches serve patients from across Nairobi and Kiambu — including Westlands, Parklands, Ngara, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Ruiru, Juja, Kahawa and Thika.

Find your nearest branch →

Call or WhatsApp 0740 187 579, or use the booking form on our Contact page. We will confirm your slot and tell you what to bring.

Call or WhatsApp 0740 187 579 immediately and let reception know it’s an emergency — we prioritise these.

Severe pain, facial swelling, a knocked-out tooth, or uncontrolled bleeding after an extraction are all same-day emergencies. Do not wait for a routine appointment.

A knocked-out or badly loosened permanent tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, facial swelling — especially with a fever — severe pain you cannot manage, and any trauma to the jaw.

A knocked-out permanent tooth is the most time-sensitive of these. Put it in milk, not water, and get to us within the hour.

Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline — not tap water, and do not scrub it.

If you can, put it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in a cup of milk. Get to us within an hour; the odds of saving it drop sharply after that.

Yes at Nairobi CBD and the Digital Centre — 8:30am to 5:00pm. Our Thika Road and Thika Town branches are closed on Sundays.

Booked appointments usually start within 15 minutes. Walk-ins depend on the day — mornings are generally quieter than late afternoons.

At Arrow Dental, braces start from KES 90,000 per jaw. The final price depends on how much movement your teeth need, which we can only tell you after an examination and X-ray.

More about braces at Arrow Dental →

Metal braces and ceramic braces. Metal braces are the most cost-effective and, clinically, the most versatile. Ceramic braces cost more but are far less visible.

Most cases take 18 to 24 months. Simple crowding can be done in under a year; complex bite corrections can run to three.

Fitting braces does not hurt. The three or four days after fitting, and after each tightening, are uncomfortable — a dull ache, and soft food is easier. Ordinary painkillers handle it. After the first month most patients stop noticing them.

No. Teeth move at any age. We regularly treat patients in their thirties, forties and beyond.

Adult treatment sometimes takes a little longer, and if you have gum disease we treat that first — but age itself is not a barrier.

Metal braces are the least expensive option and, clinically, the most versatile — they can correct cases that other appliances cannot.

Ceramic braces cost more because of the material, not because they work better. If budget is the deciding factor, metal braces are not a compromise.

An orthodontic screening at age 7 — not to fit braces, but to check whether early intervention would help. Most treatment starts between 11 and 14, once the permanent teeth are through.

Some jaw growth problems are far easier to correct at 8 than at 14, which is why the age-7 check matters.

Three, broadly:

• An implant — a titanium root placed in the jaw with a crown on top. The closest thing to a natural tooth, and the most expensive.
• A bridge — uses the neighbouring teeth as anchors, from KES 25,000 per unit. Quicker and cheaper than an implant, but it involves reshaping healthy teeth.
• A denture — removable, from KES 13,000, and often the right answer when several teeth are missing.

Which one suits you depends on your jawbone, your neighbouring teeth, and your budget.

Implants start with a deposit from KES 40,000, with the balance arranged as part of your treatment plan and paid in instalments alongside your follow-up visits. The final cost depends on your case — confirmed after a 3D scan at our Digital Centre.

Dentures start from KES 13,000.

With good hygiene and regular check-ups, decades — often for life. The implant itself is titanium and does not decay. The crown on top may need replacing after 10–15 years of wear.

The thing that shortens an implant’s life is gum disease, not the implant.

Most people are. You need enough healthy jawbone to hold the implant, and healthy gums.

If bone has been lost — which happens gradually over the years after a tooth is removed — a graft may be needed first. Uncontrolled diabetes and heavy smoking both reduce success rates. A 3D scan at our Digital Centre answers this definitively.

The neighbouring teeth drift into the space and the opposing tooth grows down into it, which changes your bite. The jawbone under the gap gradually shrinks.

None of this is urgent, but all of it makes replacing the tooth harder and more expensive later.

Professional teeth whitening starts from KES 28,000.

Typically one to two years, depending on what you drink and whether you smoke. Tea, coffee and cigarettes are the main culprits. A top-up appointment restores it.

Professional whitening does not damage enamel. It works by breaking down stain molecules within the tooth, not by stripping the surface. Some people get temporary sensitivity for a few days afterwards.

What does cause damage is unsupervised DIY whitening. Acidic home remedies and unregulated high-strength gels bought online can permanently erode enamel and burn gums.

Zirconia veneers are thin, custom-made ceramic shells bonded to the front of your teeth. They are shaped and shaded to match your face, and they do not stain.

From KES 26,000 per tooth.

Well-made zirconia veneers last 10–15 years and often longer. They do not stain. The limiting factor is usually the health of the tooth underneath, not the veneer itself.

Composite masking uses tooth-coloured composite resin, bonded and shaped directly onto the tooth, to cover chips, gaps, discolouration or minor misalignment in a single visit — without the lab work a veneer needs.

From KES 5,000 per tooth. It’s a faster, more affordable alternative to veneers for smaller cosmetic fixes, though it does not last as long.

No. Whitening only works on natural tooth enamel. Crowns, veneers and fillings keep their original shade.

Which is why, if you are planning both, we whiten first and match the new work to the whitened shade afterwards.

By age 1, or within six months of the first tooth appearing — whichever comes first. Even a single tooth can develop decay.

The first visit is short and gentle, and is as much about you learning how to care for those teeth as about examining the child.

Often, yes. Some baby teeth stay in the mouth until age 12. Untreated decay spreads, causes pain, disrupts eating and sleep, and can damage the permanent tooth forming underneath.

We start slow. The first visit for an anxious child is often just a “meet the chair” appointment — no examination, no tools, just familiarity. We explain every step before doing it.

In our experience most fearful children are settled by their third visit.

Yes. A single dental X-ray delivers less radiation than a few hours spent outdoors. We use lead aprons and thyroid shields for every child, and we take X-rays only when there is a clinical reason — not routinely.

A children’s tooth extraction starts from KES 2,500. Consultations, cleanings and fillings follow our standard pricing — ask at booking for a full breakdown for your child’s treatment plan.

Root canal treatment starts from KES 12,000.

No. The procedure is done under local anaesthetic and feels much like having a filling.

The pain people associate with root canals is the pain of the infected tooth before treatment. The root canal is what stops it.

Keeping your own tooth is almost always better, if it can be saved. An extraction is cheaper on the day, but it leaves a gap that will eventually need replacing at greater cost.

We recommend extraction when the tooth is too damaged to restore predictably — not to save you money in the short term.

A simple extraction starts from KES 4,000. Where a tooth is impacted and needs surgical removal (disimpaction), it starts from KES 15,000.

Professional dental cleaning starts from KES 6,000.

Every six months for most people. Every three to four months if you have gum disease, smoke, or build up tartar quickly.

Not always. If they have come through straight and you can clean them properly, leave them.

They need removing when they are impacted, repeatedly infected, decayed beyond repair, or pushing your other teeth out of line. An X-ray tells us which situation you are in.

Disimpaction is the surgical removal of a tooth — most often a wisdom tooth — that hasn’t erupted normally and needs surgical access to take out, rather than a simple extraction. It starts from KES 15,000.

A well-placed composite filling lasts 7–10 years, sometimes longer. It depends on the size of the cavity, where it sits in the mouth, and how well you clean around it.

Yes, at all four branches. An OPG is a single panoramic X-ray showing all your teeth, both jaws and the jaw joints in one image, and takes about a minute.

More about OPG X-rays →

A CBCT is a 3D scan of your jaw. It shows bone depth and the position of nerves in a way a flat X-ray cannot, which matters for implant planning, difficult extractions and some root canals.

Available at our Digital Centre, which runs Kenya’s first CBCT X-ray with Artificial Intelligence. More about CBCT scans →

Yes — bring your referral and any previous imaging you have, and our team at the Digital Centre will take it from there. Message us on WhatsApp to arrange a time.

Digital software that lets us design and show you your final result before we begin treatment — useful when you’re planning veneers, whitening or a full smile makeover and want to see the outcome first. Available at our Digital Centre.

We plan the implant on a 3D scan first, then place it through a custom-made surgical guide. It is more accurate than freehand placement, usually faster on the day, and generally means less swelling afterwards.

Deposit from KES 40,000, as with standard implants.

Yes. A dental X-ray delivers a very small dose — comparable to a few hours of ordinary background radiation. We use digital sensors, which need far less exposure than old film, and we shield you.

We take X-rays when there is a clinical reason, not routinely. More about dental X-rays →

Not once it has hardened. Plaque is soft, and brushing removes it. Tartar is plaque that has mineralised onto the tooth, and it is roughly as hard as the tooth itself — no brush, no baking soda, and no scraper bought online will shift it without damaging your enamel or your gums.

What you can do at home is stop new tartar forming: brush twice daily, clean between the teeth, and get a professional clean before it builds up.

Bleeding gums are inflamed gums, and the usual cause is plaque sitting at the gumline. That is early gum disease, and at that stage it is completely reversible with a professional clean and better brushing.

Bleeding is not normal, and it is not a reason to brush more gently — it is a reason to be seen.

Most persistent bad breath starts in the mouth — bacteria on the tongue, gum disease, or decay under an old filling. Mouthwash masks it for an hour; finding and treating the source fixes it.

Occasionally the cause is elsewhere — sinuses, stomach, or certain medications — and we will tell you if we think that is the case.

Usually exposed dentine, either from receding gums or worn enamel. Sensitive-teeth toothpaste helps mild cases if you use it consistently.

If the pain is sharp, sudden, or lingers after the cold is gone, that can indicate decay or a cracked tooth and should be checked.

Every six months for a check-up and clean. Every three to four months if you have gum disease, smoke, or are wearing braces.

Two minutes, twice a day, with a soft brush held at 45 degrees to the gumline, using small circles rather than a scrubbing motion.

Do not rinse afterwards — spit, and leave the fluoride on your teeth. And clean between the teeth daily; brushing alone reaches only about 60% of the tooth surface.