Dentist fears more people turning to pulling their own teeth out amid NHS price hike

  • Watch the video report from ITV Wales' Sion Jenkins.

An increase in the cost of dental treatment in Wales could drive people to extreme measures like "pulling out their own teeth".

That's the stark warning from some dentists.

Fees for NHS services in Wales went up this week, with a basic check-up now costing £20 and urgent care doubling to £30.

Although people receiving certain benefits are exempt from paying, the British Dental Association wants to see more of a safety net for people on lower incomes.

Emergency treatments are seeing the sharpest rise, more than doubling in price. Credit: ITV Wales

Dentist Dr Holly Foley, the owner of two dental practices in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, fears more patients may put themselves at risk through doing their own dental work or trying to ignore issues.

On the subject of home dentistry, she said: "I've had patients come in that have decided to make their own dentures for teeth that they've taken out."

New dental treatment costs in Wales, brought in from April 2024, mean:

  • A check-up has increased from £14.70 to £20

  • Fillings and tooth extractions have gone up from £47 to £60

  • Crowns and dentures have increased from £203 to £260

  • Emergency procedures have more than doubled from £14.70 to £30

The Welsh Government said "overall" costs for dental care in Wales are still lower than in England, adding that money raised through higher charges will be reinvested into NHS dentistry.

Wales' health secretary Eluned Morgan said the decision to increase charges is "because of the extreme pressure on our budget".

She said: "We are working to make it easier for people to see an NHS dentist by increasing the number of new NHS places and helping dentists to focus on those who need help by changing how often we see a dentist for routine appointments."

Have you heard our new podcast Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…

But Dr Foley, who said her practices receive more than 200 calls a week asking if they are taking on new NHS patients, worries the "main shock" will be the price hike for emergency treatment.

She said: "Patients that don't have access to dentistry, that use the 111 service for urgent dentistry, may be put off by that now, [prices] being set at that fee, which means they may turn to A&E again or to home dentistry, which is a greater concern.

"That's going to put additional pressure on our colleagues in A&E.

"I think the most disadvantaged patients are the ones who aren't associated with a practice, who don't have a dentist, because they've got that higher fee."

Dr Foley says her practices do not have the capacity to take on more NHS patients, saying: "We could work 24 hours a day and we still wouldn't be able to see enough [patients], especially in Pembrokeshire, there's just not enough of us.

"I'm very pro-NHS, I was trained by the NHS, it's really beneficial to have that NHS aspect of the practice."

Dr Foley's practices receive more than 200 calls a weeks asking if they provide NHS treatment. Credit: ITV Wales

She added: "Is it financially viable for dentists? No. Not at the present moment, which is why my colleagues are handing back their contracts.

"If it continues this way, there won't be any NHS dentists left."

As for the price hike decided by the Welsh Government, Dr Foley said: "I fully understand there are gaps and cuts in the government, it's just such a shame it's had to come from dentistry.

"These charges that come in, dentists don't receive a penny of that.

"We're health professionals, not tax collectors."

Around half of people in Wales receive free NHS dental treatment due to exemptions, according to the Welsh Government.

Exemptions include under-18s and 18-year-olds in full-time education, as well as anyone who has dental work in a hospital, and people on certain benefits.

Pregnant women and those who start treatment within 12 months of giving birth also receive free treatment.

Despite exemptions, Dr Foley said "anecdotally" there has been an increase in the number of children being seen for urgent treatment in A&E, with parents who cannot afford their own care not signing their children up at a dental clinic.

The British Dental Association Wales (BDA) said the Welsh Government "must protect vulnerable patients".

It warned that "many on very modest incomes still have to pay fees in full" despite exemptions.

Some patients have resorted to carrying out their own dental work, including removing teeth and making dentures. Credit: ITV Wales

The price increase across all bands of dental work will constitute the largest single increase in charges in the history of the NHS, according to the BDA.

It added that while the Welsh Government has previously shown "restraint" over price rises, it is "now aping the tactics of the Westminster Government, who for 14 years have used inflation-busting hikes to reduce state contributions within a flat budget".

The change in the amount people pay could mean the Welsh Government pays £6 towards NHS care, with patients paying around 85% of the cost of that service, according to the BDA.

The professional body fears "the impact could be profound given the depth of socio-economic and oral health inequalities within Wales" and say "reforms to current exemptions from charges should be urgently considered to provide a safety net for low income, high needs, fee paying patients".

Lee, a patient at the Charles Street Dental Clinic in Milford Haven, told ITV Wales he had not been to see a dentist in 12-14 years before he broke a tooth.

He said he "basically couldn't get an NHS appointment anywhere in the near future" to deal with the issue and resorted to going privately.

Another patient, Paul, said: "They [the Welsh Government] can find money to spend on other things that perhaps the people don't agree with, so if they spent money on the right things people would agree with it."

He added it is "a little bit scandalous that prices have gone up that much".

However, Mary, from Milford Haven, said: "I think most people would be willing to pay a little bit more than they do at the moment on the NHS."

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "Despite pressure on budgets the Welsh Government has increased investment for dentistry, with funding £27m higher than it was in 2018-19. Included within this increase is an additional £2m a year to address local access issues."

The Welsh Government said it has been forced to increase prices because of "extreme pressure" on budgets. Credit: ITV Wales

They added: "Changes to the dentistry contract in Wales include a requirement for NHS practices to see new patients. Since this was introduce in April 2022, 312,000 people who couldn’t get an appointment before have now received NHS dental treatment."

Welsh Conservatives shadow health minister Russell George said: "Vaughan Gething’s arrogant choice to hike up dental charges for the people Wales, rather than cut his Labour Government’s wasteful spending, is wrong.

"While Welsh Conservatives agree that dental services require greater investment after years of Labour underfunding them, ministers should look at cutting vanity projects like their plans to create more politicians before passing on the cost to patients."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...