Almost a Third of People in the UK Now use Private Dental Treatment

The Guardian newspaper has recently reported that in the UK the almost a third of people are seeking private dental treatment in the absence of NHS care. Private dental treatments are expensive and often come when least expected. So how can you help your employees to easily access private dental care for themselves and their family. Come and speak to us at Get Dental Plans to see how we can help with our corporate dental insurance plans.

The reliance on paid-for dental treatment is so significant that dental care is becoming a costly “one tier” – private-only – service for more and more people, Healthwatch England is warning.

The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% in late 2025, the health service’s patient watchdog found.

Those who do are hit with a “double penalty”, the watchdog added. That is because dentists charge much more for private than NHS work, for example £64 for a check-up that costs only £27.40 on the NHS. And they may also lose out because many low-income patients, as well as all pregnant women and new mothers, miss out on free NHS dental care to which they are entitled because they cannot find a dentist to treat them as health service patients.

The big shift to private dental care showed NHS dentistry “exists in name only for many people”, the Patients Association said. “This report is yet further damning evidence on the state of NHS dentistry and this double penalty for people on low incomes demonstrates a systemic failure with real human consequences,” said Rachel Power, the association’s chief executive. “This isn’t just about the cost of dentistry. The lack of affordable dental care harms physical health, leaves people in ongoing, sometimes agonising, pain, and can take a heavy toll on mental and emotional wellbeing.”

The Competition and Markets Authority chief executive, Sarah Cardell, said: “Going to the dentist is an important part of health and wellbeing. Yet we’re concerned many may be uncertain about costs, availability, treatment options and what they’re entitled to. For some, turning to private dentistry is a choice – but for many a necessity.”

Its review will look at access to private dentistry, competition within the sector and the “significant” price rises surgeries have imposed in recent years. For example, the cost of an initial consultation jumped by 23% to £80 and a check-up by 14% to £55 between 2022 and 2024.

Dentists blame ministers for the inaccessibility of NHS dental care. They say that the NHS pays them so little to carry out certain types of work that they provide them at a loss and have to cross-subsidise that to the tune of £400m a year just to break even on those treatments.

The British Dental Association (BDA), which represents dentists, claims that this “funding gap … is inevitably putting some pressure on private pricing. Government has a responsibility to properly fund NHS care to prevent people being forced into private treatment.”

The BBC disclosed last week that dentists in England were doing so little NHS work that they had handed back £936m over the last two years of the money that had been allocated to pay them for performing procedures.

A Department of Health and Social CCare spokesperson said: “As this report shows, this government inherited an NHS dentistry service that had been left to rot for more than a decade. We believe strongly that everyone should be able to get dental care, not just those who can afford it.

“We have taken immediate action to fix this, delivering 1.8m more treatments in the first seven months of this year, with more children and the most deprived benefitting most. We are also reforming the dental contract, to treat more patients and put a greater focus on prevention. We’re determined to end the two-tier service and put dental care within everyone’s reach.”

If you are concerned about your employees oral health and how they are managing to access dental care, why not speak to us about our corporate dental insurance plans. We work with leading dental insurers to find the right solution for you. Contact us today to find out more.