NHS vs Private Dentists

When it comes to dental care in the UK, as a patient there are two options of care for you: NHS vs private dentists. While for many years you may have been able to choose between NHS and private dental care in the UK, the access and availability to NHS care right now is very limited for new patients, unless you’re already enrolled with an NHS practice.

If you’ve experienced dental negligence in the past, understanding the differences between NHS and private dentists could be crucial, as the success of your claim can be highly dependent on the circumstances of the negligence.

At The Dental Law Partnership, we specialise in helping patients navigate the complexities of the dental negligence claims process – regardless of whether their treatment was received through the NHS or private care. Here, we’ll run through the main differences between these two forms of dentistry, covering the pros and cons of each option and what to do if you believe you’ve received substandard care from a dental professional.

If you believe you’ve encountered dental negligence, we may be able to help you start your claim – please contact our dedicated team on 0800 152 2039 for more advice and information.

NHS vs Private Dentists: The Key Differences

So, first things first: what’s the difference between NHS and private dentists?

Essentially, an NHS dentist provides dental care for patients as part of the NHS (National Health Service) within the UK. Depending on your eligibility, your dental appointments will be either free or heavily discounted, when compared to the price you’d normally pay at a private dentist.

NHS dental care is provided to British residents at a subsidised rate, which makes it much more affordable than it might otherwise be if those patients had attended a private dental surgery. On the other hand, private dentists operate on an independent basis, charging fees based on the treatments provided. As qualified professionals, both NHS and private dentists should be trained to the same standard, but how they operate and the services they provide can differ significantly.

Please read on to find out more about the differences between NHS vs private dentists.

NHS Dentists: Affordable and Accessible

One of the main points to consider is that NHS dentists are funded by the government, which means they offer treatments at fixed prices (usually referred to as pricing bands). Find out more about the cost of NHS dental treatment here.

This process ensures that NHS dental care is much more accessible and affordable for a wider percentage of the population, with many people receiving their dental care free of charge. You’ll usually get your NHS dental work free in England if:

• You’re aged under 18

• You’re aged under 19 and are still in full-time education

• You’re either pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months

• You’ve experienced a stillbirth in the past 12 months

• You’re currently receiving treatment in an NHS hospital from a hospital dentist (some treatments may still need to be paid for, like dentures or dental bridges)

• You receive War Pension Scheme payments or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, and the treatment is for your accepted disability

There are also a series of welfare benefits that may make you eligible for free NHS dental treatment if either you or your partner receives them:

• Income Support

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit

• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit with Savings Credit

• Universal Credit (only if your income is below a certain amount)

However, the range of treatments available under the NHS is typically limited to what is deemed clinically necessary. This means that cosmetic dental procedures (for instance, teeth whitening treatments or veneers) are typically not covered, unless there is a clinical requirement for them.

Private Dentists: A Greater Degree of Flexibility and Personalisation

From a cost point of view, an NHS dentist may seem like the obvious choice at first. However, private dentists tend to offer a much broader range of services for their patients, including cosmetic treatments and advanced procedures like dental implants. Examples of dental procedures that are usually available through a private dentist but may not be possible on the NHS include:

• Veneer procedures

• Teeth whitening treatments

• White cavity fillings in back teeth

• Dental implant procedures

• Cosmetic dental bonding

• Adult orthodontic treatments

• Smile makeovers

You’ll often get longer appointment times, more expensive materials used for your treatment and a more personalised standard of care from a private dental surgery. However, as you might expect, these benefits usually come at a higher cost, as private dentists are allowed to set their own fees.

Cost is one of the biggest comparative factors between NHS and private dentistry, alongside the ability to get an appointment. 4 in 10 (41%) people mentioned cost as a primary barrier to them not seeking dental care, which has “sparked warnings that NHS services are unsustainable without change.

NHS vs Private Dentists: The Pros and Cons

We’ve broken down the main advantages and disadvantages of each dentistry option:

General Dental Council Insights: Comparing Private and NHS Care

With the new government still concerned by the state of dentistry in the UK, the General Dental Council (GDC) has recently published their latest research on public views and experiences of dental care in the UK, with a particular focus on the NHS.

The main issues raised were difficulties in booking appointments, issues with securing regular dental visits and frequent appointment cancellations. Of course, affordability remains the biggest issue for most people, with ‘nearly one-quarter of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the cost of dental treatment.’ You can read more about the research here.

The Labour government has recently announced an extra 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments, so hopefully we may start to see some improvements within the dental sector soon.

Making the Right Choice for Your Health

We understand you may not always be able to choose between an NHS and private dentist due to high demand and varying constraints. But if you are fortunate to be in a position of choosing power, we urge you to think of your individual needs and circumstances, so it’s important to weigh up your options carefully before committing to a decision.

Here are some of our top tips to help you make the right decision for your needs:

• Assess your budget: First, you need to determine how much money you’re willing to spend on dental care, also taking into account the price of unexpected dental treatments (in case your dentist discovers an oral health condition). For example, if you’re unemployed at the moment or have little savings, NHS dentistry may be the better option for you.
• Consider your potential treatment needs: You should also think about the type of treatments you require and whether they’re available under the NHS. It may not be possible to predict all your future dental needs at the moment, so you should try and allocate some funds towards unexpected dental procedures too.
• Evaluate your schedule: It’s important to consider how much flexibility you need in terms of appointment times.
• Research local dental practices: Our final major tip is to look for reviews and recommendations, particularly from friends and famil,y for both NHS and private dentists in your area. Whilst many areas of the UK have a shortage of NHS dentists at the moment, this is not true for every location, so it’s worth checking what your situation could look like.

If you’re finding it hard to find an NHS dentist, our handy guide may be of some use. Hopefully, by following these steps, you can work out which option could be best for your personal needs and requirements.

NHS vs Private Dentists: Comparing the Risks of Dental Negligence

Regardless of whether you’re enrolled with an NHS dentist or a private dentist, you have the right to expect a certain standard of care when undergoing treatment. Unfortunately, clinical negligence can occur in both private and NHS dental surgeries, so it’s important to educate yourself about the signs of dental negligence.

The term ‘dental negligence’ refers to substandard treatment that causes harm in some way, which can include physical injuries, psychological distress, unnecessary pain after dental work and/or financial losses.

Some of the most common examples of dental negligence in the UK include:

• Misdiagnosis or failing to diagnose a dental condition

• Incorrect treatment or failing to treat a dental issue correctly

• Poor-quality dental work (e.g., faulty fillings or crowns)

• Failing to obtain informed patient consent

• Pain, suffering and other physical dental injuries

• Providing inadequate aftercare advice

• Emotional distress and psychological harm

• Financial losses (e.g. the cost of corrective treatments and lost wages)

With most dental negligence claims, you’ll likely find that your case involves more than one of these examples. The greater the negligence, the more likely it is for your claim to be successful, so it’s important to keep records and document anything that happens, no matter how small it seems at the time.

Both private dentists and NHS dentists owe you the same when working on your teeth, so the dental negligence claims process will largely be the same, regardless of which type of practice you’ve attended.

We should also point out that if you do decide to bring a claim against an NHS dentist, you will be suing the dentist themselves or the relevant dental practice, rather than the NHS as a whole. Not only could opening a claim help you recoup any financial losses you’re owed, but it could also prevent other patients from becoming victims of the same dentist.

If you’re not sure whether your situation would be classed as dental negligence, you may be able to find some similar cases on our Client Stories page. Our Client Stories may also be useful in determining how much compensation you could get for your situation (although this isn’t something we can state for certain).

How Do I Make a Claim?

At The Dental Law Partnership, we always have an experienced team of dental solicitors and dentists on hand who are happy to discuss the circumstances of your claim and advise you at every step of the process. If you’ve suffered from negligence at the hands of your dentist and you’d like to pursue a claim, we may be able to help.

Every dentist who treats you (whether they are an NHS dentist or are working privately) has a duty of care for you and should always carry out correct and proper dental procedures. If your dentist was negligent, then you may be eligible to make a claim against them. If the negligent dental treatment happened in an NHS hospital, you would be bringing a claim against the NHS trust in these circumstances, rather than the NHS itself. We have a guide to claiming dental negligence for NHS dental treatment if you need further information before getting started.

All our claims are carried out on a no-win, no-fee basis, ensuring you won’t pay anything unless your case is successful, and you will pay nothing if your claim is unsuccessful. If you think you may have a claim or want a little more information, please call us on 0800 152 2044 or fill out our contact form here.

Making an Informed Choice Between NHS and Private Dentistry

We hope that by now, the choice between an NHS vs private dentist has been made much easier for you. It’s a personal decision that will be influenced by a variety of factors, including your projected costs, your treatment needs and the overall convenience of your desired option.

However, regardless of whether you opt for an NHS dentist or a private dentist, you deserve a high standard of care. If you believe you’ve fallen victim to negligent dental treatment through the NHS or a private surgery, please don’t hesitate to seek out legal advice. At the Dental Law Partnership, we’re an expert firm of dental solicitors, here to help you navigate the complexities of dental negligence claims and secure the compensation you deserve.

If you’ve experienced negligent dental care from a dentist in England and Wales in the last three years, we should be able to help you with your claim. Please contact our team today for a free consultation, or request a callback at your leisure.