Somerset's NHS dental services are busier than they have been in years, but for many residents, little has changed. Only about half the county is covered by current NHS dental funding, leaving the rest to find care elsewhere or go without.
A 2026 NHS dentistry report found that only 21% of Somerset dental practices were accepting new NHS patients, making it one of the weakest areas for access in England.
But the headline numbers don't tell the whole story. Somerset has become a flashpoint for the wider debate over dental access, with MPs calling it a "dental desert." Many residents pay privately, travel far for appointments, or skip care altogether. In Parliament, Yeovil MP Adam Dance compared the situation to "a Charles Dickens novel." He pointed out that 56 percent of Somerset's children did not see an NHS dentist in 2025, and shared stories like that of an 86-year-old man who pulled out his own teeth because he couldn't get treatment.
Dance welcomed the new clinics in his area but criticized the NHS dental contract, which has not changed since 2006. He argued it penalizes dentists who do extra work and does not prioritize local patients. Dentists are not paid for work beyond their contract, and patients cannot register with an NHS dentist as they do with a GP, making it harder to get ongoing care. This structure discourages dentists from taking on more NHS work and leaves patients struggling to find regular treatment.
The phased opening of new NHS dental practices in Wellington (October 2025), Chard (December 2025), and Crewkerne (May 2026) directly contributed to the year-on-year rise in Somerset's NHS dental output, with a combined capacity to serve 20,000 additional patients.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock called Somerset "an outlier" with "significant problems" in dental access, and said the government plans to reform the dental contract during this parliament. He said the focus will be on matching resources to need, improving access, prevention, and fairer pay for dentists.
NHS Somerset is not waiting for national changes. The new clinics in Wellington, Chard, and Crewkerne are already open, and the ICB is paying local dentists up to 25 percent more per UDA to encourage NHS care. More urgent appointments are being offered through local incentives and NHS 111. Other steps include extra funding for recruitment and retention, "golden hellos" for new dentists, and more prevention work, such as supervised toothbrushing in all Somerset primary schools. Still, a 2026 NHS dentistry report shows Somerset remains one of the weakest regions for NHS dental access in England.
Sukeina Kassam, director of primary care at NHS Somerset, said, "Improving access to NHS dentistry is one of our top priorities as we know it is hugely important to local people. It is great to see our improvement programme is leading to better access and more NHS dental care being provided in Somerset." David McClay, place director for Somerset, said that after this first wave of new clinics, the next areas needing attention are being identified. Options include encouraging existing practices to take on more NHS work or planning for more new clinics.
For patients, the main question is whether these changes will make a difference in daily life. More NHS dental work is being done, and more clinics have opened, but the system still cannot meet everyone's needs. Anyone needing emergency or urgent dental care is advised to call NHS 111 or use NHS 111 online.
Somerset has made some progress, but the funding gap and contract issues remain. Until the government delivers the reforms MPs are calling for, many people in the county will still struggle to get the dental care they need.
