Using Your Dentist
How do I switch dentists?
By The Local Dentist Editorial · Updated 13 July 2026
There is nothing to 'unregister' from
Unlike registering with a GP, NHS dentistry does not put you on a permanent list in the same formal sense. Practices treat patients course by course, and many keep a rolling recall list of people they see regularly — but you do not need permission, a signature, or an official transfer to leave. If you want a different dentist, you book with another practice. The practical barrier is access: finding an NHS practice that is taking new patients is genuinely hard in parts of the UK, which is why many people who want to switch end up stuck with nowhere to go rather than stuck by paperwork.
How to make the change cleanly
Search for practices taking patients — use the NHS website dentist search for NHS care, and directories like The Local Dentist for private or mixed practices — then book a new-patient check-up. Bring a list of medicines, any ongoing treatment notes you have, and contact details for your previous practice. Ask the new dentist to request your dental records and X-rays; practices are used to this and it avoids repeating work you have already paid for. Call or email the old practice to say you are moving and cancel any future appointments so a recall reminder does not turn into a DNA (did-not-attend) charge. If you are mid-course of NHS treatment, finish it with the current practice where practical — unfinished urgent work is messy to hand over mid-stream.
Switching NHS to private, or mixing both
You can leave NHS care for a private dentist, stay private, or keep an NHS dentist for clinically necessary work while paying privately for hygiene or cosmetic treatments elsewhere — that mix is common and allowed. What a practice cannot do is charge an NHS band plus a private top-up for the same item in one course: NHS and private options for the same treatment must be set out clearly on a written plan. If cost is why you are switching, check whether you qualify for free NHS treatment and compare private check-up and plan prices before deciding. A dental payment plan at a private practice (typically £10–£40 a month) can make private care more predictable, but it is not insurance and does not replace shopping around.
If you cannot find anyone taking patients
When NHS lists are closed, switching becomes a waiting game: keep checking the NHS website, ask local practices to put you on a cancellation or waiting list, and use NHS 111 for urgent pain — urgent care does not require you to be an existing patient anywhere. Private practices usually have shorter waits for new-patient exams. Do not simply stop attending while you hunt; gaps of years are when small problems become expensive ones. Speak to a dentist about outstanding issues before you disengage, and keep any exemption certificates (MatEx, HC2, benefits evidence) ready — they travel with you to the new practice.
People Also Ask
Do I need a letter from my old dentist to switch?
No. Book with a new practice taking patients and ask them to request your records. A courtesy call to the old practice is helpful for cancelling recalls, but it is not a legal requirement.
Can my NHS practice stop me leaving?
No. You can change dentist at any time. The real limit is whether another NHS practice has capacity — many do not, which is an access problem, not a lock-in rule.
Will I lose my place if I try a private dentist for one course?
Possibly. Practices manage capacity tightly; if you stop attending NHS recalls for a long stretch, you may be dropped from their list. Ask the practice what happens to your place before you pause NHS care.
Can I get my dental records myself?
Yes — you can request a copy of your records from your current practice under data-protection rules. In practice, the smoother route is asking the new dentist to request them directly.
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This article is general information for UK patients, not clinical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on nhs.uk or speak to a dentist before acting. For severe facial swelling affecting breathing/swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or trauma call 999 / go to A&E; otherwise NHS 111 for urgent dental access. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from ourmethodology.