Britons are dipping into university funds, holiday pots and emergency savings to pay for private dental treatment, as the shortage of NHS dentists pushes more households towards eye-watering bills they cannot easily afford.
Patients told BBC Your Voice they have been left with little choice but to go private after months on waiting lists or being told no NHS slots are available at all. Some described handing over thousands of pounds for work that would once have been routine on the health service.
One young woman said she had spent the savings she had been putting aside for university on getting her teeth repaired, after struggling to find an NHS practice taking new patients. Others described postponing extractions, fillings and check-ups because they simply could not stretch the family budget any further.
Private fees vary widely across the UK, but the gap between an NHS check-up at around £27 and a private equivalent often two or three times that price is leaving many people priced out. Complex work such as crowns, root canals or implants can run into the thousands.
Dentists themselves have warned for some time that the current NHS contract is unsustainable, with many practices handing back their NHS work and shifting to private care. The British Dental Association has repeatedly called for urgent reform.
Ministers have pointed to a recovery plan promising more appointments and golden hello payments to attract dentists to underserved areas. Campaigners argue the measures fall well short of fixing what they call dental deserts, particularly in coastal towns and rural communities.
For households already squeezed by rising rent, food and energy costs, finding spare money for a trip to the dentist is now another tough decision sitting on the kitchen table. Many say they are simply going without.