Patients pay private dental fees as NHS access shrinks

Last summer Deacon Galloway was preparing for university when he needed dental work and could not find an NHS dentist near his home in North Yorkshire. The 19-year-old paid nearly £800 for two fillings and two replacements at a private practice, using a third of the money his grandparents had saved for his studies. On the NHS the treatment would have been free because he was under 19 and in full-time education.

"It was really upsetting, but I had no choice," said the University of Manchester student. "I knew if I didn't get my teeth done they would get worse."

Around a third of people receiving dental treatment in the UK pay privately, according to the General Dental Council. Less than a fifth of those patients choose private care; the rest say they have no NHS option. BBC Your Voice has heard from people who have used savings or taken loans to cover treatment as private prices rise.

A UK-wide analysis by MyTribe Insurance found that the average cost of an initial consultation rose 23 percent in two years to £80, while simple extractions increased 32 percent to £139. Root-canal charges varied widely, reaching £660 in some areas against a £400 average.

NHS treatment remains subsidised, with some groups eligible for free care and others paying one of three fixed bands. The Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation into private dentistry, examining price increases and how dentists explain costs and treatment options to patients.

Rebecca Curtayne of Healthwatch England said patients report that private care is "too expensive," with deprived and rural areas hit hardest. Sophie, who has paid privately since she was 18, was unable to use her maternity exemption certificate at a private practice despite being entitled to free NHS care while pregnant. She paid £70 per check-up and £200 for her first filling.

"I certainly think pregnancy affected my teeth – that's why it was so frustrating not to get the free dental care I was entitled to," she said. "That is money that I should have been able to put towards my daughter."

British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said millions choose private care, but many feel forced into it or go without treatment. He said dentists often subsidise NHS work with private income because payments from the health service are too low. In its submission to the CMA, the BDA estimated that providing NHS dentistry in England costs £4.2 billion while government funding covers only £3 billion, leaving a £1.2 billion shortfall. It added that a third of practices plan to increase private work and more than a quarter are now private only.