Brushed off - £10,000 root canal nightmare exposes hidden costs and broken complaints system at private dentists
Reduced NHS services have left many people turning to private dentists, but a new Which? investigation has found that widespread problems including hidden costs, botched treatments and a broken complaints system are leaving patients vulnerable to significant harm.
In one particularly bad case, the consumer champion heard from Marc, who told Which? he was initially quoted £3,400 for a root canal following a football injury. He said his costs ballooned past £10,000 when several procedural failures meant he was repeatedly charged for further treatment.
Marc ultimately recovered 66 per cent of the associated costs after filing a complaint against the practice with the Dental Complaints Service but told Which? he decided not to pursue further compensation because he feared being left without access to dental care.
Which? surveyed 1,009 private dental patients who had experienced a problem with their treatment in the previous two years. It found that pricing was the primary cause of patient dissatisfaction (39% felt costs were excessive, 22% paid more than quoted, and 21% said pricing was unclear upfront).
A quarter of patients (26%) told Which? they were dissatisfied with the quality of their treatment, with one in 10 (10%) reporting a direct clinical mistake by their dentist.
Other problems highlighted in Which?'s survey include high-pressure tactics such as feeling pressured into specific treatments (16%) and forced onto monthly dental payment plans (11%).
Which? also spoke to Becky, a young mum who said she was “held ransom” after querying an incorrect £125 fee following a whitening offer. She told Which? that the practice subsequently refused to book routine check-ups for both her and her young child until the disputed sum was paid.
Yet even when patients experience problems, Which? found that many are reluctant to complain. More than six in 10 (62%) of those surveyed who experienced a problem chose not to complain to their practice.
The most common reasons were fear of damaging their relationship with their dentist (31%) and believing that making a complaint would not make a difference (31%). Even among those who did complain, nearly half (46%) said they received only a verbal apology, without a financial or clinical resolution.
A third patient, Richard, told Which? that he went to a private dentist for a routine crown replacement but was left in agonising pain with exposed tooth roots after difficulties during the procedure. He was subsequently moved between different practices within the same corporate group, with his total costs eventually rising above £2,000.
Richard told Which? he felt trapped by the situation and ultimately abandoned his complaint.
The difficulty of getting complaints resolved was reflected in Which?'s findings. Over a quarter (27%) were dissatisfied with how their complaint was handled, while three in 10 (30%) were unhappy with the outcome.
Unlike NHS patients who can escalate unresolved complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), private dental patients have no equivalent ombudsman to turn to.
Patients must first complain directly to their dental practice. If the issue remains unresolved, they can approach the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), which can help facilitate mediation and make recommendations. However, it cannot award compensation for any pain, distress, or inconvenience and its recommendations are not legally binding, leaving patients without an equivalent route to an independent decision on their dispute.
Which? found escalation is rare - just 9 per cent of those surveyed took their complaint to the DCS, while 5 per cent went to the General Dental Council and 1 per cent pursued legal action. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those who did not escalate said they felt further action was pointless.
Which? is calling on the government and regulators to close this glaring gap in consumer protection by giving private dentistry patients access to an ombudsman that has mandatory participation for dental practices, can investigate and adjudicate disputes, and which can issue binding decisions. All private dental practices should also be required to clearly signpost patients to the complaints process, so no one is left without a clear route to justice when treatment goes wrong.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study into private dental services earlier this year, examining issues including competition, price transparency and complaints processes.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, said:
“People paying hundreds or even thousands of pounds for dental treatment should have clear rights when something goes wrong – yet private patients can be left with nowhere meaningful to turn.
“Our research found people facing unexpected bills, treatment problems and complaints that ended with little more than an apology, while some were too worried about damaging their relationship with their dentist to complain at all.
“Private dental patients deserve the same level of protection as people using other essential services. The government and regulators must ensure that consumers can access a mandatory independent ombudsman for private dentistry, with powers to make binding decisions and award redress, alongside compulsory signposting to the complaints process.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Methodology:
Which? surveyed 1,009 adults in May 2026 who had experienced a problem (or whose dependents had experienced a problem) with private dental treatment in the past two years. Which? screened 5,848 consumers to achieve this sample, representing a problem incidence rate of 17%.
Which? also conducted 10 qualitative, in-depth interviews in August 2026 with private dental patients who had experienced treatment problems and sought redress. Seven had complained directly to their practice, while three had escalated their complaint to the Dental Complaints Service.
Key findings:
- Pricing is the primary cause of patient dissatisfaction (39% felt costs were excessive, 22% paid more than quoted, and 21% said pricing was unclear upfront).
- Treatment quality issues affected 26% of dissatisfied patients, with 10% reporting a direct clinical mistake by their dentist.High-pressure tactics were common, with 16% feeling pressured into specific treatments and 11% forced onto monthly dental payment plans.
- Six in 10 patients (62%) who experienced a problem chose not to complain to their practice, primarily due to fear of damaging their relationship with their dentist (31%) or believing a complaint would fail (31%).
- Satisfaction with complaint handling varies by ownership structure: corporate group practice patients reported higher satisfaction (76%) compared to independent practice patients (53%).
- Overall, 27% were dissatisfied with complaint handling, 30% were unhappy with the outcome, 19% received no response at all, and 46% received only a verbal apology without financial or clinical resolution.
- Escalation rates remain extremely low: only 9% went to the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), 5% to the General Dental Council (GDC), and 1% pursued legal action. 63% of non-escalators felt further action was pointless.
Unlike NHS patients who can escalate grievances to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) for binding decisions, private patients have no equivalent ombudsman protection.
Current Complaints Pathways
- NHS Dental Pathway: Unresolved complaints can be raised with the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) or escalated to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) for a definitive, binding decision.
- Private Dental Pathway: Patients must first complain to the practice. If unresolved, they can use the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), an independent mediation service funded by the General Dental Council. However, participation in DCS mediation is voluntary for practices, and the service cannot issue binding rulings or award financial compensation for distress.
- General Dental Council (GDC): The GDC regulates individual professionals and investigates fitness-to-practise concerns regarding serious professional misconduct. It does not resolve consumer disputes regarding pricing, customer service, or fee refunds.
Market context:
In March 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a market study into private dental services to evaluate market competitiveness, price transparency, and complaints mechanisms. Private dentistry has grown from 42% of the market in 2010 to 69% in 2025, driven largely by declining access to NHS dental appointments.
Private dentistry has expanded to 69% of the UK dental market in 2025 (up from 42% in 2010), driven by the sharp contraction of NHS dental availability.
About Which?
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