Lack of NHS care and rising cost of private treatment leaves system suffering serious decay

The inability of millions of patients to access an NHS dentist is one of the longest-running injustices in the history of the health service.

- Andrew Gregory

The inability of millions of patients to access an NHS dentist is one of the longest-running injustices in the history of the health service. The misery and the harm it causes is profound and well documented, but the scandal is not new.

Going private is often the only alternative. If it means getting a checkup, a scale and polish, a filling, an extraction or, if necessary, root canal treatment, many will pay. Anything to keep your teeth in good nick.

But now a new horror is emerging. Just like NHS dental care, private dental care risks becoming more inaccessible too.

Fees for private treatments are rocketing, an analysis shows. Average costs of non-surgical treatments are up by as much as 32% in two years.

Patients can be billed £325 for a white filling, £435 to have a tooth out and, in some cases, £775 for root canal work. It means millions more people could face a double blow in 2025: inability to access NHS dental care and inability to afford to go private.