By Joe McCann
DENTAL care in North Down is now only available to the wealthy, according to local MP Alex Easton.
The Independent MP told a debate in the House of Commons that finding an NHS dentist in his constituency has become ‘increasingly difficult’ with many residents joining waiting lists ‘that stretch for months or even years’.
Mr Easton said the current provision of dental care on the NHS was under ‘severe and unsustainable strain’.
He said NHS dentistry was founded on the promise that every person, regardless of income or background would be able to access essential dental care when they needed it but said he was unsure of whether that was still the case in 2026.
The MP said many of his constituents are reporting that multiple dental practices are now not taking on NHS patients.
Mr Easton said some residents are being left with little choice but to seek private treatment or travel significant distances for basic care. He highlighted the case of a single parent in North Down struggling with tooth pain who could not afford private fees and another constituent with a crumbled tooth who was told they were no longer on an NHS list and could only be seen privately.
“One could afford it – one couldn’t,” he said. “One has rich oral health but the other’s reality is that rich oral health now in North Down is only available for the rich.”
He added that the issue is no longer marginal but increasingly common and warned that access to NHS dentistry is declining as costs for dental treatment are rising. “No MP can sleep easily in
2026 when British people are pulling out their own teeth at home,” he told the House, referring to reports of patients resorting to so-called DIY dentistry due to pain and an inability to pay.
The North Down representative said the crisis was being driven by funding that has not kept pace with demand, or the cost of delivering care.
“Many of our NHS dentists feel they are being asked to do more, to address complex needs with resources that simply do not match the reality on the ground,” he said.
He also stipulated that the structure of dental contracts rewarded ‘quick, high volume work’ rather than long-term preventative care and that newly qualified dentists often view NHS contracts as ‘inflexible, overly bureaucratic and, in many cases, financially unsustainable’.
As a result of this, he said a growing number of dentists are reducing their NHS commitments, handing back contracts and also leaving the profession altogether.
Calling for urgent reform, Mr Easton said the government must provide ‘a realistic, sustainable funding settlement’ and design a long-term contract model that prioritises prevention, incentivises practices to take on new NHS patients and rewards quality of care.
“Let this House reaffirm, for the whole of our country, the enduring British principle that good dental care is not a luxury, but the right and entitlement of every British citizen,” he said.
