Private dental patients face 'broken' complaints system as costs spiral thousands above quotes, Which? warns

From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026.

Consumer watchdog Which? has found that private dental patients are trapped in a "broken" complaints process, with 22% paying more than they were quoted and 39% saying costs were excessive. One patient saw a root canal bill balloon from £3,400 to over £10,000 after repeated failed treatments, recovering only 66% of costs after a formal complaint. A woman told Which? she was "held ransom" by her practice, which refused to book check-ups for her and her child until she paid a disputed £125 fee.

Six in ten affected patients never complained at all, fearing they would lose access to their dentist entirely.

The British Dental Association called it "entirely misleading" to treat Which?'s sample — all of whom had experienced a problem — as representative of all private dental patients.

ONS figures put private dental patient satisfaction at 93.5%, outstripping the 89.9% recorded among NHS patients.