Currently experiencing this, although I will say you can still get very cheap dental care (£30) for dental emergencies, you just have to jump through some hoops AND WAIT UNTIL ITS AN EMERGENCY.

It's facing a similar fate to the rest of the NHS - whereby the NHS outsources to private sector, because the NHS workers get paid so little in comparison that there just aren't as many NHS dentists anymore.

The problem for me isn't necessarily the cost of NHS dentistry - which is of course more than before but not crazy - it's that in urban centres, there's a 9 month waitlist to get in as a new NHS patient (because it makes the private companies less money). So then you're forced to go private, where pricing is extortionate.

Also, because the new NHS model means NHS has to 'stand on its own two feet' (make money), they often rent out their dental theatres to private companies at short notice, taking priority over NHS patients. These companies have the manpower (ex NHS dentists) but not the facilities, so they rent out the facilities and offload the cost to the consumer!

How fucking backwards is that! We've got NHS dentists in NHS dental surgeries, making money through private sector! What the fuck!