How to complain about a dentist in England: NHS and private routes

If you are unhappy with dental care in England, start by raising it with the practice. The General Dental Council (GDC) says all NHS and private dental practices must have a formal complaints procedure. If that does not settle it, the next step depends on who paid for the treatment: the NHS complaints route for NHS care, or the Dental Complaints Service for private care.

Other bodies cover different things. The GDC looks at serious concerns about a dental professional, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates how a practice is run, and a solicitor can advise if you want compensation. This guide sets out which is which. It is general information about the process, not legal advice.

Step 1: raise it with the practice

The GDC's step-by-step guide begins with the practice itself. You can make an informal complaint or ask for the formal complaints procedure and follow it. Where you can, address the complaint to the dental professional who treated you. The practice can apologise, offer a refund or agree to put things right.

Three things make this step easier. Write down what happened and when, keep copies of letters and receipts, and say clearly what outcome you want: an explanation, an apology, a refund or corrective treatment. The Dental Complaints Service also asks you to think about the outcome you are seeking before you get in touch.

You do not have to complain to the practice if you would rather not. The GDC says you can go to the next step if you would prefer not to raise it with the practice or dental professional.

Step 2: find out whether your care was NHS or private

The route depends on this, and it is not always obvious. Many practices offer both, and the GDC points out that it is possible to receive NHS and private care in the same appointment. Ask the practice to confirm, and look at your treatment plan and receipts. Our guide to NHS dental charges explains the three NHS charge bands.

If your care was NHS

NHS England's guidance on complaining about NHS services says you can complain either to the NHS service provider directly (such as the dental surgery) or to the commissioner, which is the body that pays for the service. You cannot complain to both. For dental care in England, the commissioner is your local integrated care board. Each ICB has its own complaints procedure, often shown on its website, and NHS England has a page to find your local ICB.

A few points on how it works, from NHS England's guidance:

• Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of the incident, or of it coming to your attention. The time limit can be extended if you have good reasons for the delay and a fair investigation is still possible.
• You can complain verbally, in writing or by email. If you complain verbally, a written record should be made and you should be given a copy.
• You should expect an acknowledgement and an offer of a discussion about how your complaint will be handled within 3 working days.
• There is no set timeframe for a response. It depends on the complaint, and you should be kept informed of any delay.
• The written response should set out the findings, give an apology where appropriate and explain your right to take the complaint to the ombudsman.

If you are not happy with the outcome, you can take it to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. You can get free help from an NHS complaints advocate at any stage, and your local Healthwatch can tell you who provides it.

If your care was private

The Dental Complaints Service (DCS) helps resolve complaints about private dental services only, and the GDC points private patients to its what we can help with page. It asks you to contact the practice first so the issue can be resolved locally.

The DCS says it can help with complaints raised within 12 months of the treatment taking place, or within 12 months of you becoming aware there was a problem. The limit applies to each individual treatment, not your whole plan. It describes four kinds of help:

1. An explanation or apology from the dentist or another member of the team.
2. A full or partial refund of the cost of treatment that has failed.
3. Free remedial treatment, if you and the practice both agree.
4. A contribution towards remedial treatment by another dentist, if it costs more than you originally paid. The contribution cannot exceed the cost of the original treatment.

The DCS is clear about what it cannot do. It cannot compel a dental professional to respond in a particular way or accept liability, and it cannot help with compensation for loss of earnings, pain or suffering, with complaints about NHS services, with practice staff who are not registered dental professionals (such as receptionists), with getting your dental records, or with clinical advice. If your treatment was under a dental plan, you should start with the plan provider, and the DCS can only help if the plan provider refers you.

When to tell the GDC or the CQC

These two bodies do different jobs from a complaints service. The GDC regulates dental professionals. It says it cannot resolve complaints or help with refunds, but it investigates serious concerns about clinical practice, behaviour or health that may put patients at risk. Its examples include serious or repeated mistakes in patient care, failing to respond to a patient's needs, violence or discrimination, and criminal offences. If you believe someone is practising dentistry without being registered, you can report that to the GDC too.

The CQC regulates dental practices in England. The DCS suggests the CQC if your complaint is about how a practice is run, such as its management or cleanliness. The CQC itself says it cannot take forward complaints on your behalf, but that the information you give helps protect others and informs its inspections. Its page on complaining about a GP, dentist or eye care explains where to go next for NHS and private care.

If you want compensation

A complaints process can lead to an explanation, an apology or a refund. It does not award damages. The DCS says compensation is a legal matter, and the GDC says that for private treatment you will need to find a solicitor or contact Citizens Advice if you want to take the issue further. The DCS page also notes a time limit of three years from the time you became aware of a problem when progressing a complaint legally for compensation, so it is worth getting advice sooner rather than later. A solicitor can tell you the limit that applies to you.

If you decide to explore a claim, you could look through solicitors who handle personal injury claims on MyLocalSolicitors.co.uk, another directory in our network, and ask whether the firm has experience of dental or clinical negligence claims. The GDC also lists AvMA among the organisations that can support you through a complaint.

A short checklist before you complain

• Confirm whether the care was NHS or private.
• Note the dates of treatment and when you first noticed the problem, because the 12-month limits run from those dates.
• Gather receipts, treatment plans, photos you took yourself and any messages with the practice.
• Decide what outcome you want, in one or two sentences.
• Ask for the practice's complaints procedure in writing.
• If you need a new dentist while the complaint runs, see our guide to finding an NHS dentist, or browse practices by city.

Not medical advice. This article is general information. It does not replace advice from a dentist or doctor about your own mouth, teeth or health. MyLocalDentists is independent and is not affiliated with the GDC, CQC or NHS. Complaints guidance checked against GDC, DCS, NHS England and CQC pages on 11 October 2026.