£800 private dental bill used a third of student's uni savings, BBC finds

Patients who cannot find an NHS dentist are using up savings and even taking out loans to pay for private treatment, according to the BBC. One North Yorkshire student, Deacon Galloway, paid nearly £800 for two fillings, two replacement fillings and a clean, treatment he could have had free on the NHS. The bill took a third of the money his grandparents had put aside to help him through university.

His case is far from unusual. The General Dental Council says around a third of people having dental treatment in the UK pay privately, but less than a fifth of those do so through choice. Private prices are also rising fast, and the competition watchdog is now looking at whether patients are getting a fair deal.

How private dental fees have pulled away from NHS charges

MyTribe Insurance carried out a UK-wide analysis and found the average first consultation at a private dentist has risen by 23% in two years to £80. A simple extraction is up 32% to £139, according to the same research. Root canal work showed the widest spread in prices, with an average of £400 but charges reaching £660 in some places.

NHS dentistry is subsidised by the UK governments, so it is free for some groups and capped at one of three price bands for everyone else. The BBC reports that NHS root canal treatment costs five times less than going private. MyTribe warned that "surging" private prices and poor NHS access were leaving patients "struggling to afford essential care".

The British Dental Association (BDA) rejects the idea that dentists are cashing in. Its chair, Eddie Crouch, said the price rises are justified by particularly high inflation in the sector. He also said private income is being used to "subsidise" NHS work because the health service does not pay enough. In its evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the BDA says NHS dentistry in England costs £4.2bn to provide but the government pays only £3bn of it, leaving a £1.2bn shortfall.

Who is being pushed out of free NHS dental care

The people hit hardest are often those who should be paying nothing at all. Deacon was under 19 and in full-time education, which made him eligible for free NHS treatment, but with no NHS dentist near his home he went private. The University of Manchester student told the BBC the bill meant he could not afford specialist equipment for his studies.

Sophie Bingham, 32, a mother-of-one from Suffolk, had a maternity exemption certificate, which should give pregnant women free NHS dental care. She was told it could not be used at the private practice she had paid since the age of 18. She paid £70 for check-ups during her pregnancy and in the year after giving birth, then £200 for her first filling, money she said should have gone towards her daughter.

Rebecca Curtayne of patient watchdog Healthwatch England said people in deprived and rural areas are hit hardest. She said they tend to have the poorest access to NHS dentists and are the least able to afford private fees. The BBC says some towns have become "dental deserts", with no NHS dentists at all.

Key numbers

• £800: roughly what Deacon Galloway paid privately for treatment he could have had free on the NHS.
• 23%: how much the average private first consultation has risen in two years, to £80, according to MyTribe Insurance.
• 32%: the rise in the price of a simple private extraction, now £139 on average.
• £660: the highest private charge for root canal treatment in some areas, compared with a £400 average.
• £1.2bn: the gap the BDA says exists between what NHS dentistry in England costs and what the government pays.
• More than a quarter: the share of dental practices now private only, according to figures cited by the BDA.

What happens next with the watchdog inquiry and NHS reform

The CMA has opened an investigation into private dentistry. It is looking at price rises and at how dentists explain costs and treatment options to patients. England's Department of Health and Social Care said private dentistry has to be held to account, which is why it asked the regulator to investigate. No findings or end date for the inquiry have been published yet.

Governments in all four UK nations say they are putting more money into NHS dentistry and changing dental contracts. In England that means a complete overhaul of how NHS dentistry works by 2029, so nothing changes for patients yet. Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, warned that more practices going private risks "locking people out of care altogether". She urged ministers to urgently reform what she called the "broken NHS system".

What you can do now

Before paying private fees, check whether you qualify for free NHS treatment or help with costs. People under 19 in full-time education and pregnant women are among those who can get free care. The NHS dental services pages explain who is eligible, what each NHS price band costs, how to find an NHS dentist and how to get an urgent or emergency appointment.

Many dentists do a mix of NHS and private work. If yours does, ask directly whether the treatment you need is available on the NHS and what it would cost each way. Ask for the price in writing before you agree to anything, because how dentists explain costs is one of the things the CMA is examining.

If something goes wrong, the NHS website explains that complaints about NHS dental care go through NHS England, while complaints about private treatment go to the General Dental Council. Keep your receipts and any exemption certificate in case you need to show you were entitled to free care.

Your questions answered

Can I use a maternity exemption certificate at a private dentist?

Sophie Bingham told the BBC she was told hers could not be used at a private practice, so she had to pay for check-ups and a filling. Free dental care for pregnant women comes through NHS treatment, so you will need to find an NHS dentist to use it.

Why are so many dentists going private?

The BDA says NHS dentistry in England is underfunded and that this is one of the main reasons practices are moving towards private work. It cites figures suggesting a third of practices are aiming to do more private work and more than a quarter are already private only.

Is anyone checking whether private prices are fair?

The Competition and Markets Authority is investigating private dentistry, including price rises and how dentists talk to patients about costs and options. The BDA insists the increases reflect particularly high inflation in the sector.