London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Patients waiting up to 3 YEARS to see public-funded NHS dentist in England, watchdog’s report reveals

Patients waiting up to 3 YEARS to see public-funded NHS dentist in England, watchdog’s report reveals

Britons have shared their own horror stories about trying to get their teeth fixed during lockdown after a survey revealed that some have been asked to wait until 2024 to see an NHS dentist. 

Dental surgeries have reported backlogs of thousands of patients, while people desperate to receive treatment have been pressured to pay extra to secure an appointment, or have been forced to seek care at pricey private clinics, Healthwatch England, a watchdog group, has found.

A review of 1,375 healthcare experiences between January and March of this year revealed some patients were told they would have to wait up to three years to see an NHS dentist, while those who could afford private care were able to secure an appointment within a week.

Over a quarter of respondents told the watchdog they either struggle to pay for dental care or avoid it altogether because of the costs involved. Nearly a third (30%) of people said they felt pressured into forking over private fees to secure an appointment, while 39% reported that they had been charged extra to use NHS dental services.

The survey also included a number of harrowing personal testimonies and stories. For example, in response to Covid-19 occupancy limits and sanitary measures, some dentists asked their patients to “wait outside in bitterly cold weather” and even prevented people from using the toilets due to “safety concerns.”

The report claims that when dental practices couldn’t provide appointments, they advised people to take painkillers or buy filling kits and treat themselves. People said the DIY treatments were not effective and that they ended up spending more money on replacement kits.

Others who suffered from serious issues such as broken teeth said they were only offered antibiotics and in some cases were advised to take painkillers to provide temporary relief. In one case, a person said they had lost a filling and that the entire tooth had later broken off, creating difficulties when eating. The person said that their dental practice is only open for “serious” cases, but sends out emails encouraging patients to pay for private treatments.

While some said they have yet to experience issues with securing dentist appointments, numerous Twitter users said they could relate to the report’s shocking testimonials.

One person said they have three cracked teeth that need to be removed, but that getting an appointment with an NHS dentist was like “trying to find a golden egg.” They claimed that they had been hunting for a dentist for two years.


Others shared similar stories. One social media user revealed that they were compelled to turn to a private clinic.


“Even a broken tooth isn’t deemed an emergency by my normal dentist,” they explained.



Another person said they still had a broken tooth from the first lockdown that needed fixing.


It appears that the dental crisis has been getting worse over the past several months. In a survey from February, Healthwatch England said people were reporting that they were being asked to wait up to two years to receive dental work. In one testimonial, a patient was in so much pain he decided to extract his own teeth. The watchdog reported at the time that even back in February, people were being asked to pay private fees if they wanted to secure an appointment.

The backlog in treatments has been felt across the NHS. In April it was revealed that a record-high 4.7 million people were on waiting lists for routine operations and procedures in England after hospitals diverted resources to fighting Covid-19.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman told The Guardian: “We are committed to supporting the dental sector throughout this unprecedented pandemic so everyone across the country can access affordable, high-quality dental care."

“We continue to support the most vulnerable by providing exemptions from dental charges for certain groups – nearly half of all dental treatments, over 17 million, were provided free of charge in 2019-20.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×