Waiting Lists for NHS Dentistry: How Group Dental Insurance Can Help

There are few things in life more annoying and painful – for your people and their purse – than dental issues. 

Regular dental check-ups are the pre-emptive solution, yet millions of people in the UK are going years between appointments – because they are unable to access an NHS dentist.

The NHS is supposed to provide basic dental care for all, including a free service to those on low incomes – but waiting lists for NHS dentists have got even worse in the past few years, with many patients waiting months, or even years, for treatment – and that’s assuming they can find a dentist offering NHS care at all.

What’s behind the waiting lists for NHS dentists?

There are several factors contributing to this rise in waiting lists for NHS dentists. 

The COVID-19 pandemic created a backlog, but the larger problem is that there's simply too little money and too few dentists to cover everybody in the country. The NHS dental contract is viewed by many dentists as a disincentive to perform NHS care and thousands of practices have either scaled down their commitment to the NHS or gone fully private. According to the General Dental Council (GDC), of the 34,520 dentists registered in England in April 2023, 22% did not provide any NHS dental care.

But the larger problem is that there's simply too little money and too few dentists to cover everybody in the country. The vast backlog of work required has led to thousands of dentists either quitting due to overwork and exhaustion, scaling down their commitment to the NHS or going fully private. 

The cost of living crisis is also having an impact on people’s willingness to seek dental treatment, with many prioritising treatment over preventative care and saying in future they would only seek treatment in an emergency, according to the GDC.

Tooth extraction – a relatively simple procedure that previously would have been handled by the dentist – is now the most common cause of hospital admission in children aged between six and 10.

The future of dentistry in the UK

Unless something drastically changes, we are going to see these effects compound. We’ll see more NHS dentists quitting, an ever-increasing strain put on the system and even longer waiting lists for dentists. 

According to a report in the Financial Times, the UK has fewer dentists per head than other developed economies and the Association of Dental Groups said that obstacles to recruiting almost 2,000 dentists who had qualified overseas was fuelling a “recruitment crisis” at a time of staff shortages.

The previous government published a dental recovery plan in February 2024, which promised to spend £200m delivering more than 1.5 million additional NHS dentistry treatments (or 2.5 million appointments), however a report from the National Audit Office concluded it was unlikely to achieve its targets.

What is the most efficient way for people to receive the dental care they need, then? 

The alternative to the NHS, for both patients and dentists, is to go private. Doing so allows dentists to regulate how many patients they see. This is essential in helping them avoid a serious case of burnout, one of the main reasons why so many have quit. 

It's easy to see why going private is tempting for patients, too. It all but guarantees faster – and often much better – service. Still, it's also a lot more expensive than seeing an NHS dentist, with a simple check-up costing up to £100. This is pricing many people out and forcing them to either endure the long waiting lists or simply give up on seeing a dentist at all.

How YuLife's Group Dental Insurance can help 

It will clearly take some time for dentistry in the UK to overcome its significant challenges. In the meantime, it's still essential that your team has access to quality dental care as and when they need it. After all, poor dental health is one of the key reasons why staff may take sickness absence. It’s dentists who often spot conditions such as mouth cancer, and there is a growing body of research suggesting a link between dental health, heart disease and other cancers.

One way to ensure your team stays healthy is to offer group dental insurance as an employee benefit. It's one of the most popular flexible health benefits in the UK, with 50% of people saying that they would visit the dentist more often if their employers offered it. It's easy to see why - it removes the financial worry that comes with potentially expensive procedures from private clinics and takes away the hassle of trying to find an NHS dentist. 

Our Group Dental Insurance offers a fully-flexible plan with five different levels of cover for your employees that will take care of the cost of routine check-ups, preventative and restorative dental work, dental injuries, emergencies and oral cancer treatment. There are no hidden costs, an easy claims process (with no wait time, so employees can claim right away) and exclusive discounts. 

Your team can opt to have their treatment at either an NHS practice or at a private clinic and can make claims immediately for most preventative dental treatments. And rather than waiting for months or even years to be seen, most patients will be able to meet with a dentist in just a week. 

Seeing a dentist can be intimidating, even scary, particularly if the treatment is extensive. Our package takes the hassle and financial worry out of the equation.

Get in touch for a quote

To find out more about our Group Dental Insurance, reach out to us for a quote.

Did you know?

Besides dental insurance, YuLife also offers other incredible employee benefits insurance. 

YuLife has built a game-changing app that not only allows you to access your insurance and other benefits, but encourages healthy habits like meditating and exercising by offering highly-valued incentives (such as Amazon or Sainsbury’s vouchers), ultimately inspiring your employees to live healthier & happier lives.