Updated: Dentistry – A Healthwatch guide to your rights and accessing the treatment you need

News - 10 March 2024

Dentistry continues to be one of the most common reasons people contact us at Healthwatch East Sussex. Reasons included challenges accessing dentistry services during the lockdown, problems finding NHS dentists accepting new patients and delays getting access to emergency dental treatment.

One of the key lessons for Healthwatch has been that many members of the public, including those who regularly attend dental services, are not clear on what dentistry services are available via the NHS, what treatment is included and what charges apply.

We have heard stories of people paying more than they should, experiencing long delays for treatment, and difficulty finding help if they have an urgent dental problem.

Our Healthwatch guide to dentistry

In response, Healthwatch across Sussex (East Sussex/West Sussex/Brighton & Hove) worked together on a detailed guide to help everyone get the treatment they need.

CLICK HERE to access our guide.

We have updated this guide to reflect changes announced for NHS dentistry in 2024, as well as changes to prices and charging for NHS Dentistry services which come into force in April 2024.

This explains:

  • Changes to NHS Dentist treatment costs as of April 2024
  • The difference between NHS and private dental care
  • How to find and register with an NHS dentist
  • NHS dental charges and exemptions
  • How to feedback or complain about a dental service
  • Useful links and emergency dental services

We hope the guide will answer most of your questions about NHS dental care. There are also some useful tips about keeping teeth and gums healthy.

For more information, please also see our website articles on NHS dentistry – what you need to know and Top ten tips when accessing NHS dentistry.

Visit our website and sign up to our mailing list for more news and information about dentists and other health or care services.

You might also be interested in

Your Experiences of NHS Dentistry

In January 2025, Healthwatch in Sussex sought people’s experiences of NHS Dentistry and received 595 responses to our poll. We previously asked questions about NHS Dentistry in a poll in January 2023 and wanted to see if there had been any changes over the past two years.
Report

Urgent dental support available in Sussex

The NHS in Sussex is expanding access to urgent dental care appointments to improve access to urgent dental services for people without a regular dentist and vulnerable patient groups.
News