Many people are finding it hard to find NHS dental treatment at the moment. This page has our latest advice about finding dental care.
Finding a dentist close to where you live may be very difficult. You might need to look outside of the local area to find a practice willing to see you.
Healthwatch advice is to avoid asking to ‘register’ as this can be a barrier to accessing treatment.
If you feel that your need for dental care is an emergency matter, or you are in dental pain, you should Phone NHS 111 and request access to an Urgent Dental Centre.
If NHS 111 provides details of practices that refuse access when you contact them, you should call NHS 111 again to explain that the previous options were refused and ask for further advice. You may need to repeat this process a number of times. Practices delivering NHS provision are prioritising patients on the basis of need. The more urgent your need, the more likely it is that a dentist will see you on an NHS footing. Such appointments may be a one-off, and you may subsequently struggle to access ongoing treatment if the problem is not resolved. Please make sure you check the amount you will be charged before accepting treatment and ensure the practice is seeing you as an NHS patient.
More generally, if you have not seen a dentist for some time, it’s worth contacting your practice to book an appointment. We know that many people have been told they cannot see a dentist because they have not been seen within 24 months. If you have an appointment, make sure you turn-up.
If you can no longer make your appointment, reach out to your practice with as much notice as possible to avoid being removed from the practice list or having a non-attendance warning recorded against your name.
Quote from Dentaid when we asked them about coverage in February '24 "There are no current confirmed plans for Basingstoke and the north of Hampshire. We will keep your details on file and get back to you when more details are confirmed. This new service was commenced on Monday and we have already received an exceptional volume of calls."