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How to make a complaint or get a refund

If you’ve had dental care, services or treatment and want to make a complaint or ask for a refund, this step by step guide explains how.

Step 1: Raise it with the dental practice

Speak to your dental practice or the dental professional who provided your care. They will have a complaints process.

You can make an informal complaint or you can ask for their formal complaints procedure and follow it. All NHS and private dental practices must have a formal complaints procedure. If you can, address your complaint to the dental professional who treated you.

The dental practice or surgery can offer an apology and may offer a refund, or can agree to put things right. You should go to the next step if you would rather not raise your complaint with the practice, dental professional or other dental service provider.

Step 2: Go to the NHS or the Dental Complaints Service

If you were not able to resolve the problem with your dental practice, or you want advice, contact the:

  • NHS if you had NHS care.
  • Dental Complaints Service (DCS) if you had private dental services.

You will need to know if you received an NHS service (HSC in Northern Ireland) or you were treated privately before taking this step.  

Lots of practices do both NHS and private services, and your dental practice or surgery can tell which type you received. It is possible to receive both NHS and private care during the same appointment so you should check with the provider to be sure. 

NHS services

For NHS services contact NHS dental complaints (Health Service Complaints in Northern Ireland). They may offer a full or part refund or to put things right.

You may need to raise the issue with the NHS dental service commissioners at your local integrated care board (ICB) if you live in England or the local health board or trust if you live elsewhere in the UK. 

For support or more information about how to complain about NHS services, contact:

The NHS may refer you to the ombudsman if your complaint has already been handled by your dental practice or provider.  

Private treatment

For private treatment contact the Dental Complaints Service (DCS).

The DCS can help you resolve the issue and support discussions which may lead to an offer to refund or provide remedial treatment. The DCS can help with complaints about private dental services only.

If you had private treatment through a dental plan, you should contact your plan provider, as they will have a complaints process.

Step 3: Contact the ombudsman or a solicitor

If you received an NHS service and are still not satisfied, contact the ombudsman where you live:

The ombudsman makes the final decision on complaints that have not been resolved by the dental practice, provider or NHS.

If you had private treatment, you will need to find a solicitor or contact Citizens Advice for legal advice if you want to take the issue further.

Report a public protection issue

If you have been harmed by a dental professional or you think they might be posing a risk to you or others, you should report it to us. We refer to these as public protection issues or concerns.

Our role as a regulator is to protect the public. We investigate serious concerns about the clinical practice, behaviour or health of dental professionals. These are issues which may be putting patients at risk of harm, or undermining public confidence in the professions we regulate. 

We cannot resolve complaints or help with refunds. Our investigations are about assessing dental professionals’ fitness to practise dentistry. We will take action to protect the public when necessary, such as suspending or putting conditions on a dental professional’s registration.

If you have serious concerns about a dental professional, and want to see improvements for the people or patients who come after you, report it to us and we will investigate. 

How to report a public protection issue

Organisations that can support you

You may want to get independent advice or support, if so, contact: