NHS Dentistry

NHS DENTISTRY CRISIS

NHS dentistry is facing a crisis of access, resulting in a decline in oral health. The Government needs to undertake urgent and fundamental reform if people are to receive the dental and oral healthcare they need from their NHS dentist.

The scale of Britain’s dentistry crisis is staggering. Before the pandemic, in 2018-19, NHS dentists performed 39.7m dental “courses of treatment”; by 2021-22, this had fallen to just 26.6m, a decline of 34%. The result has been that the backlog has ballooned: 11 million people are now waiting to see an NHS dentist.

It looks highly unlikely that this massive backlog will be cleared within the next few years, as the vast majority of NHS practices are no longer accepting new patients. This has lengthened waiting lists, causing even more practices to turn people away.

Shawn Charlwood, Chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee said: 

“NHS dentistry is at a tipping point, with millions unable to get the care they need and more NHS dentists leaving with every day that passes.

“We’re seeing the results of years of chronic neglect, set into overdrive by the pressures of the pandemic. The question now is will Ministers step up before it’s too late?

“Nothing we’ve heard from government to date gives us any confidence this service has a future. Without real reform and fair funding NHS dentistry will die, and our patients will pay the price.”

A damning new report has also found that people in the UK have been forced to pull out their own teeth at home because they cannot access or afford an NHS dentist.

The Smileright™ service

At Smileright, we pride ourselves at delivering affordable, convenient, and high-quality routine, cosmetic and hygiene dental services for all our patients.

Dental care is an area where everyone is looking for the best service in absolutely every sense of the word. This is exactly what Smileright™ aim to deliver. At Smileright™ we focus purely on you and getting you to look and feel your very best.

You as a Smileright™ patient would like to achieve a high standard of oral health, with an emphasis on the regular maintenance of those standards.

The facility itself is state-of-the-art and your care will be in the hands of a team focusing on delivering the best care possible to you, and in doing so making sure they remain within your budget whilst achieving your goals.

Regular care through Smileright™ will ensure that no untoward dental conditions develop. Even so should you come in with gum disease or tooth decay you can expect the very best treatments to be at your service at very competitive prices. In addition, our highly skilled dentists can quickly remedy the situation and get your mouth back to its best.

We are driven by a focus on giving you exactly the dental treatment you want and need at the best rates and to the highest standards around.

Find a Smileright dentist

Find a dentist near you on the Smileright website. Check your local dentist’s opening times, services, facilities, reviews and ratings for an affordable NHS alternative. Use our clinic locator to find a clinic conveniently located near you. We are accepting new patients at all our clinics and have same day or next day appointments available.

To search for your nearest Smileright™ Clinic, please enter your address or postcode into the search box below.