Oral Health›Dental visits and treatments

Finding a Dentist, Checking Registration and Making a Complaint

How to find a dentist in the UK, Australia and the US, how to check that a dental professional is registered or licensed, and who to complain to if something goes wrong.

Updated September 2026·By the OHA editorial team·9 min read·How we write
Key takeaways
  • In England, use the NHS Find a dentist service. If no practice can see you, the NHS says to contact your local integrated care board (ICB). For urgent problems, call NHS 111.
  • In Australia, most dental care is private. Adults with a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card can use state and territory public dental services.
  • In the US, dental schools and community health centres can offer lower-cost care.
  • Check registration with the General Dental Council (GDC) in the UK, Ahpra in Australia, or your state dental board in the US.
  • If something goes wrong, start with the practice, then go to the independent bodies listed below.

How you find a dentist, and who to turn to if you are unhappy with your care, depends on where you live. For what dental care costs and who can get help paying, see dental costs and where to get help.

UK: finding an NHS dentist

England

The NHS says you can contact any NHS dentist and ask for an appointment, whether you have symptoms or need a routine check-up. The NHS Find a dentist service lets you search for NHS dentists in England that are accepting new patients. Some practices offer both NHS and private care, so ask for an NHS appointment.

If you cannot find an NHS dentist, the NHS says to contact your local integrated care board (ICB), which manages dental services in your area and may know where you can get an appointment.

The NHS says an NHS dentist should not charge a deposit before assessing you, or ask you to go private so your child can get NHS treatment.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Scotland: NHS inform says not all dentists take on new NHS patients, so ask when you first contact a practice, or ask your local health board.
  • Wales: NHS 111 Wales says you can register your interest in a place at an NHS dentist through the Dental Access Portal, which health boards use to allocate places. For urgent problems, contact your local dental helpline or NHS 111 Wales.
  • Northern Ireland: nidirect says to contact practices directly. Not all can take new patients, so you may need to join a waiting list or look further afield.

Australia: public and private dentists

healthdirect says most dental services in Australia are provided by private clinics, which set their own fees, so costs vary. Each state and territory runs public dental services for children and adults. Adults need a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, the rules differ depending on where you live, and you may wait up to a year or more. healthdirect points to your state or territory health department to find out what is available locally. Some Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations also provide dental care.

US: finding a dentist and lower-cost care

The American Dental Association (ADA) suggests its Find-A-Dentist search, your local dental society, or a recommendation from a trusted friend or relative.

If cost is a barrier, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) suggests:

  • Dental schools and dental hygiene schools, where students treat patients at reduced cost under close supervision by licensed dentists.
  • Community health centres, federally funded centres where you pay what you can afford based on your income.
  • Your state or local health department, or calling 2-1-1, to find free or reduced-cost programmes.
  • Medicaid and CHIP: contact your state Medicaid programme, or Insure Kids Now (1-877-543-7669) for children's dental programmes.

How do I check a dental professional is registered?

UK: the GDC register

The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates UK dental professionals: dentists, and dental care professionals such as dental nurses, hygienists, therapists and technicians. Anyone can search its register free, by name or town. It shows each person's registration status, number and qualifications, but not whether they provide NHS or private care.

The GDC says it is illegal for someone who is not registered to offer dental treatment or advice, offer tooth whitening, fit dentures directly for the public, or use a dental title. You can report this to the GDC. See also stained teeth.

Australia: the Ahpra register

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) regulates registered dental practitioners, including dentists, and publishes a free national register of practitioners. Ahpra says that if a practitioner's name does not appear on the register, they are not registered to practise in Australia. It advises searching by the name the practitioner registered under, which may differ from the name they use, and calling Ahpra on 1300 419 495 with questions.

US: state dental boards

The ADA explains that each state has a board of dentistry, a state government agency that sets the qualifications for a licence, issues licences and takes disciplinary action for misconduct. As an example of checking a licence, the Dental Board of California directs the public to an online licence search.

How do I complain about dental care?

Our guide to complaints about dental care covers each part of the UK, Australia and the US in more detail, including time limits and getting your records.

UK

The GDC's step-by-step guide says:

  1. Raise it with the practice first. All NHS and private practices must have a complaints procedure.
  2. If it is not resolved: for NHS care, contact the NHS. In England, NHS England says you can complain to the practice or to your local ICB, but not both. For private care, contact the Dental Complaints Service.
  3. If you are still unhappy with NHS care, go to the ombudsman for your nation, such as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in England. For private treatment, the GDC suggests Citizens Advice or a solicitor.

NHS England says complaints should normally be made within 12 months, and that free help is available from an NHS complaints advocate.

The GDC is different from a complaints service. It says it cannot resolve individual complaints or arrange refunds. It investigates serious concerns about a dental professional's practice, behaviour or health that may put patients at risk, and can suspend them or put conditions on their registration. For how a practice is run, including cleanliness, the GDC points to the care regulator, such as the Care Quality Commission in England.

Australia

Ahpra says talking to the practitioner or practice is often the quickest way to resolve a concern. After that, it depends on the problem and where you live:

  • Unsafe care or unprofessional behaviour: in the ACT, NT, SA, Tasmania, Victoria and WA, raise it with Ahpra. In New South Wales, contact the Health Care Complaints Commission or the Health Professional Councils Authority. In Queensland, contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman.
  • Fees, access to your records, or the standard of service: Ahpra says it cannot consider these, and directs you to your state or territory health complaints organisation, such as the Health Complaints Commissioner in Victoria.

Ahpra explains that a National Board can act only on a practitioner's registration and cannot award compensation. Health complaints organisations aim to resolve disputes and may help with compensation or mediation.

US

Complaints about a dentist's care or conduct go to your state dental board, and each board sets its own rules. For example, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners investigates quality of care, sanitation and professional conduct, and does not accept anonymous complaints. The Texas and California boards both say they cannot deal with fee disputes; California suggests contacting the practice or your insurer about billing.

Questions to ask a new practice
  • Are you taking new patients, and is there a waiting list?
  • Who will treat me, and are they on the register (GDC, Ahpra or state board)?
  • What will my treatment cost, and can I have a written treatment plan? In England, the NHS says you should get one for Band 2 or Band 3 treatment.
  • What happens if I need urgent care outside opening hours? (The ADA suggests asking this.)
  • Tell them if you are anxious. See dental anxiety.
Get help urgently
  • UK: the NHS says ask for an urgent dental appointment or contact NHS 111 for a knocked-out tooth, severe pain not helped by painkillers, or swelling or a patch in your mouth that is getting bigger. Go to A&E or call 999 for serious face or jaw injuries, heavy bleeding that will not stop, severe swelling of the mouth, lips, throat or neck with difficulty breathing or opening one or both eyes, or any head or face injury that has caused you to lose consciousness, vomit or have double vision.
  • Australia: healthdirect's 24-hour helpline is 1800 022 222, and public dental services may offer emergency care.
  • US: the ADA says most dentists keep time free each day for emergencies, so call your dentist, and visit your dentist or an emergency room as soon as possible. See dental emergencies.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register with an NHS dentist in England?

Not necessarily. The NHS says you can contact any NHS dentist and ask for an appointment. A practice may ask you to fill in a registration form, but that does not guarantee NHS care there in future.

Can the GDC or Ahpra get me a refund?

No. The GDC says it cannot help with refunds, and Ahpra says National Boards cannot award compensation. Go to the practice first, then the NHS or Dental Complaints Service (UK) or your health complaints organisation (Australia).

How do I know if someone offering tooth whitening in the UK is allowed to?

Check the GDC register. The GDC says that offering tooth whitening when not registered is illegal practice, and you can report it to the GDC.

Sources

  1. How to find an NHS dentist, NHS, accessed September 2026
  2. Find a dentist, NHS, accessed September 2026
  3. How to find an emergency or urgent NHS dentist appointment, NHS, accessed September 2026
  4. What happens when you visit an NHS dentist, NHS, accessed September 2026
  5. Feedback and complaints about NHS services, NHS England, accessed September 2026
  6. Receiving NHS dental treatment in Scotland, NHS inform (Scotland), accessed September 2026
  7. Dental helplines, NHS 111 Wales, accessed September 2026
  8. Seeing a dentist, nidirect (Northern Ireland), accessed September 2026
  9. How to make a complaint or get a refund, General Dental Council, accessed September 2026
  10. Report a public protection issue or concern about a dentist or dental professional, General Dental Council, accessed September 2026
  11. The registers, General Dental Council, accessed September 2026
  12. Types of registrants, General Dental Council, accessed September 2026
  13. Illegal practice and how to report it, General Dental Council, accessed September 2026
  14. Cost of dental care, healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
  15. Dental care, healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
  16. Register of practitioners, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, accessed September 2026
  17. Top tips: using the register, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, accessed September 2026
  18. How to raise a concern about a health practitioner, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, accessed September 2026
  19. Other health complaints organisations, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, accessed September 2026
  20. How to choose a dentist, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
  21. Dental emergencies, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
  22. State dental boards, American Dental Association, accessed September 2026
  23. Finding dental care, NIH National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, accessed September 2026
  24. Information for consumers, Dental Board of California, accessed September 2026
  25. Complaints about licensees, Dental Board of California, accessed September 2026
  26. How to submit a complaint, Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, accessed September 2026

This article is general information about oral health. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a dentist or doctor who knows your situation. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding that does not settle, or a problem that is getting worse, see a dental professional. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service.

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