Expert advice, treatment guides, and NHS information to help you make informed decisions about your dental health
Electric or manual toothbrush — which cleans your teeth better? We compare plaque removal, gum health, cost and NHS advice with evidence from the landmark Cochrane review of 56 clinical studies.
How to find an NHS dentist in Bristol in 2026: how the search actually works, current NHS charges, free treatment eligibility, and where to turn (NHS 111 and the Temple Quay urgent clinic) if no practice has space.
Amalgam (mercury) fillings are not banned in the UK, but the rules are changing. This 2026 guide explains where amalgam stands in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, whether mercury fillings are safe, whether you should replace them, and what white fillings you can get on the NHS.
Dental numbness from a local anaesthetic usually wears off within two to five hours, though a lower jaw injection can leave your lip, tongue and chin numb for longer than an upper tooth. This guide explains why the timing varies, what affects it, how to eat and stay safe while you wait, why children need closer supervision, and the small number of signs, such as numbness that has not eased after about a week, that mean it is worth contacting your dentist.
NHS hospital dental treatment, including dental school teaching clinics, is free at the point of use, aside from dentures and bridges. Here is how self-referral and professional referral routes work at Birmingham, London, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff and other UK dental hospitals, who qualifies, and what students can and cannot treat.
Mail-order clear aligners are legal in the UK, but ordering them without an in-person dental exam is not what regulators support. Here is what the GDC, CQC and dental bodies actually say, the real risks, the SmileDirectClub collapse, and your consumer rights if a provider fails.
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Can a dentist charge you for a missed appointment? In England, NHS practices cannot, but Scotland and Northern Ireland allow it, and private practices anywhere can charge a fair, pre-agreed cancellation fee. This 2026 guide explains the NHS and private rules across the UK, what happens if you miss appointments repeatedly, and what to do if you think a charge is unfair.
Your dental practice owns your records, but you have a legal right to a copy of the information in them. This guide explains how to make a subject access request to your NHS or private dentist, why it is free in almost all cases, how long it must take, what the file should contain (including your X-rays), and how to trace records when a practice has closed, a dentist has retired, or the patient has died. Covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Since 2013 you have been able to book a dental hygienist or dental therapist in the UK without seeing a dentist first. It is called direct access, and it is one of the least understood patient rights in dentistry. This guide explains exactly what direct access lets you do, why tooth whitening is the one exception, why it is usually a private rather than an NHS route, what a hygienist can treat compared with a therapist, and how to book one without wasting a trip.
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Dental X-rays are safe, and the radiation involved is very low. This guide explains exactly how much radiation is in a dental X-ray, the UK law that keeps them safe, how often you actually need them, the different types your dentist uses, whether they are safe during pregnancy, and what they cost on the NHS or privately across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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