Which?: one in five patients with private dental problems paid more than quoted

Which? has published a survey of 1,009 adults who had a problem with private dental treatment, for themselves or a dependant, in the past two years. The survey was carried out in May 2026.

Price was the main complaint. About four in ten said costs were excessive. One in five paid more than they had been quoted, and another one in five said prices were unclear at the start. In one case Which? describes, a root canal quoted at £3,400 ended up costing more than £10,000.

Pressure and payment plans

One in six felt pressured into specific treatments, and one in eight said they were forced onto monthly payment plans. More than six in ten did not complain to the practice.

The other side

Everyone in the Which? sample had already had a problem. Office for National Statistics data from summer 2026 found 93.5% of recent private dental patients were satisfied with their care, compared with 89.9% of NHS patients. The British Dental Association said presenting the Which? results as representative of private patients is misleading.

The redress gap

NHS patients can take an unresolved complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Private patients have no equivalent. Which? wants an ombudsman for private dentistry with binding powers. The findings arrive during the Competition and Markets Authority's study of private dental services, whose final report is due by 4 March 2027.

Analysis: what it means for your clinic

Most private patients are satisfied, but when things go wrong, price and quotes are the flashpoint. Any clinic selling self-pay treatment on quotes and payment plans, including aesthetics and hair transplant clinics, may want to check three things: written, itemised quotes that say what could change the price; a complaints route on your website, not only at reception; and finance offered after the treatment decision, never as the way to make it.

Sources: Which? (8 October 2026); ONS Health Insight Survey via Dentistry.co.uk (October 2026); CMA private dental market study.