Private dental costs: what will the new review change?

What people are saying

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said uncertainty about costs, availability, treatment choices and patients’ entitlements was a concern. She also acknowledged that private dentistry is not always a freely chosen alternative: for some households, it is the route they feel they must take to obtain treatment.

The authority is inviting both positive and negative experiences from patients, alongside evidence from dental professionals. It wants to understand how the market works in practice, including whether some groups, such as vulnerable patients, have particular difficulty understanding information or exercising choice.

Professional standards already set expectations for conversations about money. The GDC’s standards require dental professionals to explain treatment options and possible costs before treatment starts. Patients should receive a written treatment plan, with an estimated cost, and understand which elements are NHS-funded and which are private.

Consent is more than signing a form. Patients need an explanation they can understand of the proposed care, its benefits and risks, and reasonable alternatives. If a treatment plan changes, the dentist should explain the change, discuss the resulting costs and obtain consent before proceeding.

Complaints provide another test of whether patients can exercise their rights. Start by asking the practice for its complaints procedure and setting out the concern clearly. For unresolved private-care complaints, the Dental Complaints Service offers free, impartial help. Our guide to private dental complaints and your rights explains the routes available; contributing to the market study does not replace pursuing an individual complaint.

What happens next

The CMA has opened separate online forms for consumers and dental professionals, plus a call for views on the study’s proposed scope. These can be found through its private dental services market study page. Useful patient evidence could include difficulty obtaining a price, uncertainty about alternatives or problems understanding how to complain.

Depending on the findings, outcomes could include recommendations for governments to change regulation, action by the CMA or guidance clarifying businesses’ obligations. These are possible next steps, not settled reforms. The launch does not establish a new fee schedule, compensation scheme or entitlement to cheaper appointments.

Before agreeing to a bill

The CMA has also published advice for people choosing and paying for treatment now. Its central message is to compare available options, understand charges in advance and ask about alternatives. A practical way to apply that advice is to work through these questions:

• What does this amount cover? Ask whether the estimate includes all planned appointments, laboratory work where relevant and follow-up care.
• Could the total change? Find out which parts are estimates, what might alter the plan and how the practice will seek your agreement.
• What are the other suitable options? Ask the dentist to explain the differences in cost, expected benefits, risks and likely maintenance.
• How urgent is the decision? Ask what timing is clinically appropriate, rather than deciding to postpone care solely because of the price.

If a practice offers both NHS and private services, establish which basis applies to each proposed treatment before agreeing. The presence of NHS services at a practice does not, by itself, tell you how a particular appointment will be charged.

Keep copies of estimates, treatment plans, receipts and correspondence. They help you track changes and explain a concern accurately if a bill differs from what you understood. A low advertised price is useful only when you can see what you are buying and what additional charges might follow.