Guide
How to find and register with a dentist in the UK
For anyone who has just moved house, started university or arrived in the UK. Getting an NHS dentist works differently in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This guide explains how it works where you live, who pays nothing, and what to do first.
Need urgent dental help rather than a regular dentist? See urgent dental care.
What to do first
- Start before you need treatment. You may be asked to join a waiting list before you can get an NHS appointment, so it is worth asking soon after you move.
- Check how it works where you now live. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own rules on registering and on who gets free treatment. They are set out below.
- Make a list of practices near your home, work or campus. Our NHS dentists by town pages list the practices in each town that we can show are providing NHS treatment, with phone numbers and opening hours. Our dentists by town pages list every practice, NHS and private.
- Ask for an NHS appointment. Some practices offer both NHS and private care, so say that you want NHS. Ask whether they are taking new NHS patients, and if not, whether you can join their waiting list.
- Say if you get free treatment. Children, and anyone pregnant or who has had a baby in the last 12 months, get free NHS dental treatment in every part of the UK. The age limits differ, as the table below shows.
Our page on how to find an NHS dentist taking on new patients covers the phone calls in more detail.
How it works across the UK
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you get a place | Contact any NHS dentist and ask for an appointment. | Contact a practice to ask whether you can register as an NHS patient. | If you have no NHS dentist, apply online through the Welsh dental access portal. | Contact practices in your area and ask to register as a Health Service patient. |
| Registration | A practice may ask you to fill in a form to register. This does not mean you will always get NHS care there. | Lasts for life, unless you or your dentist ask for it to end. | Your health board allocates you a place at a practice when one becomes available. | Lasts 24 months, extended each time you go back for an examination or treatment. |
| Free treatment by age | Under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education. | Under 26. | Under 18, or 18 and in full-time education. | Under 18, or 18 and in full-time education. |
| Free examinations for everyone else | No. Most adults pay. | Yes, for everyone. | Under 25, and 60 or over. | See nidirect. |
| If you cannot find a place | Contact your local integrated care board. | Ask your local health board. | Once you have applied, you are contacted when a suitable place becomes available. | Join a waiting list, or look for practices outside your area. |
England
You can contact any NHS dentist and ask for an appointment, for a check-up or because you have symptoms. Some practices offer both NHS and private care, so ask for an NHS appointment. You may be asked to join a waiting list. At your first visit you may be asked to fill out a form to register with the practice. The NHS says this does not mean you will always be able to get NHS care at that practice in future.
If you cannot find an NHS dentist, contact your local integrated care board, which manages dental services in your area. Most adults pay for NHS dental treatment; see what NHS dental treatment costs.
Scotland
In Scotland you register with a dental practice yourself. Once registered, you stay registered for life, unless you or your dentist ask for the registration to be withdrawn. A practice may put you on a waiting list to be registered until you have had your first examination.
NHS dental examinations are free for everyone in Scotland. NHS dental treatment is free for everyone under 26, and for anyone pregnant or who has given birth in the last 12 months. To find a practice, use NHS inform or ask your local health board.
Wales
If you do not have an NHS dentist in Wales, the Welsh Government asks you to apply for a place online through the dental access portal. You can apply if you are 16 or over and live in Wales for more than six months of the year, or attend a Welsh GP practice. Health boards allocate places in practices to people on the register as they become available, and you are contacted when a place comes up. If you have had NHS treatment at a Welsh practice in the last three years, call that practice instead.
Examinations are free if you are under 25, or 60 or over. Treatment is free if you are under 18, 18 and in full-time education, or pregnant or have had a baby in the 12 months before treatment starts. The Welsh Government lists the charges and every group that pays nothing.
Northern Ireland
Contact practices in your area directly and ask to register as a Health Service patient. Not all practices can take new patients, so you may have to join a waiting list or look for practices outside your area. Once registered, you stay on the practice's list for 24 months, and this is extended each time you go back for an examination or treatment.
Treatment is free if you are under 18, 18 and in full-time education, or pregnant or have had a child in the 12 months before treatment starts. nidirect explains registering, what Health Service treatment costs, and links to the full list of practices.
If you have come to the UK on a visa
If you paid the immigration health surcharge with your visa application, you can use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts. The surcharge does not cover everything: GOV.UK says you still pay for certain services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests.
If you are a student
What you pay for NHS dental treatment depends on where you study and your age:
- In Scotland, treatment is free for everyone under 26.
- In England, it is free if you are under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education.
- In Wales and Northern Ireland, it is free if you are under 18, or 18 and in full-time education.
If you do not qualify and are on a low income, the NHS Low Income Scheme could help pay NHS dental charges. It has guides for England and for Wales, and a separate guide for people aged 18 or over in education.
If you cannot get an NHS place
You can be seen as a private patient, and some practices offer both NHS and private care. Our private dentists pages list practices by area, and our guide to dental treatment costs in the UK shows the range of private prices practices publish.
Urgent dental care
Dentist Locator is not an emergency service. For urgent dental help in England, Scotland or Wales, call 111. In Northern Ireland, see the nidirect guidance. In a medical emergency, call 999.
Sources
All checked on 18 October 2026.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
| Fact on this page | Source | The source's own date |
|---|---|---|
| England: contact any NHS dentist and ask for an appointment; ask for an NHS appointment; you may be asked to join a waiting list; you may be asked to fill out a form to register, which does not mean you will always get NHS care there; most adults pay; your local integrated care board manages dental services | NHS, How to find an NHS dentist | Last reviewed 6 February 2025 |
| England: free NHS dental treatment if you are under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education, or pregnant or had a baby in the last 12 months | NHS, Who can get free NHS dental treatment | Not stated |
| Scotland: it is your responsibility to register; registered for life unless you or your dentist ask for it to be withdrawn; free examinations for everyone; free treatment for everyone under 26, and if pregnant or given birth in the last 12 months; a practice may put you on a waitlist; enquire with your local health board | NHS inform, Receiving NHS dental treatment in Scotland | Last updated 27 July 2026 |
| Wales: without an NHS dentist, apply online through the dental access portal (16 or over, living in Wales more than 6 months a year or attending a Welsh GP practice); health boards allocate places as they become available; if you had NHS treatment at a practice in the last 3 years, call that practice | Welsh Government, Accessing NHS dental services | Last updated 22 September 2026 |
| Wales: free examinations under 25 and at 60 or over; free treatment under 18, at 18 in full-time education, or pregnant or had a baby in the 12 months before treatment starts | Welsh Government, NHS dental charges and exemptions | Last updated 27 July 2026 |
| Northern Ireland: contact practices in your area directly; you may have to join a waiting list or look outside your area; you stay on the list for 24 months, extended if you return for an examination or treatment; free treatment under 18, at 18 in full-time education, or pregnant or had a child in the 12 months before treatment starts | nidirect, Seeing a dentist | Not stated |
| Visa holders: you can use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts; you still pay for certain services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and assisted conception | GOV.UK, Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application | Not stated |
| The NHS Low Income Scheme could help pay NHS dental treatment charges; it has guides for England and for Wales, and a guide for people aged 18 or over in education | NHS Business Services Authority, NHS Low Income Scheme | Not stated |