NHS Dentistry Is at Breaking Point — and the United Kingdom Government Must Act

NHS dentistry was founded on a simple promise: that everyone, regardless of income or postcode, could access essential dental care when they needed it. It is a cornerstone of public health and a measure of how seriously we take equality in healthcare.

In 2026, that promise is being broken.

Across North Down — and right across the United Kingdom — finding an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult. Constituents tell me they are joining waiting lists stretching months, sometimes years. Many ring practice after practice, only to hear the same response: “We’re not taking on NHS patients.”

Some are forced to go private. Others travel long distances just to receive basic care.

I recently spoke to a hard-working single parent suffering severe tooth pain. She pays her taxes, does everything asked of her, yet NHS dentistry is no longer available to her. Her child received treatment only as a favour. Another constituent was told their crumbling tooth could only be treated privately — one could afford it, the other could not.

That is the reality in North Down today: oral health increasingly depends on your bank balance.

This is not a marginal problem. It is becoming the lived experience of families, older people and children across towns, cities and rural communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The consequences are stark:

Fewer practices offering NHS appointments.

Growing backlogs for routine check-ups.

Rising numbers attending GPs and A&E with dental pain — services never designed for dentistry.

And most disturbing of all, people resorting to “DIY dentistry” because their pain is unbearable and they cannot afford treatment.

No MP should sleep easily knowing that in modern Britain people are pulling out their own teeth at home.

So how did we get here?

Put simply, funding has not kept pace with demand or with the true cost of providing high-quality dental care. While each UK nation operates differently, a common theme runs through them all: dentists are being asked to do more, treat increasingly complex cases, and absorb rising costs — with contracts that simply do not reflect reality.

In some areas, the payment system actively discourages preventative, long-term care, instead rewarding quick, high-volume work. Newly qualified dentists tell me NHS contracts are inflexible, bureaucratic and financially unsustainable beyond basic provision.

The result is predictable. Dentists reduce NHS hours, hand back contracts entirely, or leave the profession earlier than planned.

This is not about commitment. Dental professionals are working flat out in a system stacked against them. Burnout is real. Morale is low. Too often they find themselves apologising to patients for failures not of their making.

Behind every statistic is a person:

The elderly resident struggling to eat because their dentures no longer fit.
The parent desperate to have a child seen for a broken tooth.
The low-income worker who never missed a check-up, now told only private care is available.

Dental health is not a luxury. Poor oral health is linked to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections and pregnancy complications. Untreated decay leads to lost school days, lost workdays, chronic pain and declining mental health.

Inequality runs through this crisis. Children from deprived communities remain far more likely to be hospitalised for tooth extractions under general anaesthetic — traumatic procedures that are often entirely preventable.

In Northern Ireland, we now face a crossroads: shrinking NHS provision, longer waits, rising pressure on community services, and widening gaps between those who can pay and those who cannot.

But this decline is not inevitable.

We must work with dentists, patients and experts to build a modern system that rewards prevention, supports high-street practices, recognises complex needs, and gives young dentists a genuine future in NHS care.

That starts with three urgent actions.

First, a realistic funding settlement that covers the real cost of dentistry.

Second, a long-term strategy — not temporary crisis uplifts.

Third, contract reform that prioritises prevention, incentivises new NHS patients, and rewards quality over throughput.

Alongside this, we need a credible workforce plan focused on training, retention and long-term stability.

The question facing Britain is simple.

Do we drift into a future where NHS dentistry becomes an optional extra? Or do we recommit to universal care based on need, not ability to pay?

Let us end, once and for all, the message: “There is no NHS dentistry for you.”

I benefited from NHS dental care in North Down. Future generations deserve more than managed decline.