Access to a dentist for a consultation has become nearly impossible in England. A long-standing problem has resurfaced in public debate this month after hundreds queued for days to secure an appointment in Bristol, highlighting the difficulty many Britons face in obtaining NHS dental care.
The surge in demand prompted 10% of Britons to consider do‑it‑yourself solutions at home, including extractions or using glue to fix dentures, according to reports from health observers. The local medical center registered about 1,500 people in just two days, while police outside worked to manage a situation that has exposed the strain on a publicly funded dental service.
In many regions there are more than 2,000 patients per dentist
National statistics show England currently has around 24,151 practicing dentists, about 500 fewer than before the pandemic. This decline, combined with population growth, has created so‑called dental deserts where securing a dentist visit is almost impossible and waiting times become intolerable. In Bridlington, a coastal town in the north, patients report waits of up to nine years for care, according to a BBC report. Across many areas, the ratio exceeds 2,000 patients per dentist.
Home remedies
The crisis has driven some people to try to resolve dental problems at home. A YouGov survey published mid last year found about 10% of Britons had used home remedies at some point. More than a third admitted attempting to extract their own teeth or to seal cavities using DIY products.
Other common practices include using denture glue on false teeth, trying to treat infections with urine, or filing broken teeth. Nearly one in five Britons reports not having a dentist assigned to them, and among those, more than a third lack access because there are no professionals available in the NHS system.
Funding shortfalls compound the professional shortage
Alongside the lack of professionals, limited funding has led to NHS dental service saturation. England’s dental service budget has hovered around 3.1 billion pounds per year for the past decade, a figure that equates to about 3.6 billion euros. A recent Nuffield Trust report published in December showed this allocation represented a real cut of about 525 million pounds, underscoring the sustained fiscal squeeze on public dental care.
Investment plan
The government has announced an extra 200 million pounds to help address the crisis. Part of the plan includes paying an additional 15 to 50 pounds per appointment for clinics that schedule patients who have not received care in the last two years, with the aim of delivering 2.5 million new appointments over the next 12 months.
The government’s 200 million pound boost is welcomed but viewed as insufficient by many in the sector
The executive proposal also includes signing bonuses of up to 20,000 pounds for as many as 240 professionals willing to move to the hardest‑hit areas. Health Secretary and public comments suggested the need for real and immediate improvements for patients. Yet professional associations argue that the plan does not solve the underlying crisis. The British Dental Association has labeled the plan inadequate, saying it fails to stop the exodus of workers or to offer real hope to millions seeking care. They call for stronger incentives to prevent dentists from leaving the public system for private practice, warning that the crisis will remain a hot topic in communities nationwide until genuine change occurs.