"Why is my long-standing NHS dentist suddenly going private?"
We spoke with one man in Bedwas who has been told his dentist will no longer be accepting NHS patients. He's not alone.
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Today, we’ve got a story for you that is bound to soon impact you too, if it already hasn’t - NHS dentists in the south Wales valleys that are going private. We spoke with one man in Bedwas who couldn’t afford to pay the monthly fees for his family of four, so quickly had to find another NHS dentist still taking patients.
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The Valleys Briefing
(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)
Last weekend, South Wales Police Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, and Bridgend shared a post and photo on Facebook about how three staff were invited to the Petre Prayer Room in the lead up to Ramadan. The gesture of solidarity was called “offensive” by many in the comments of the post, complaining that this was a waste of policing time, and asking why police didn’t also attend similar services on Easter or Good Friday (which, the police later commented they do in fact regularly attend churches and synagogues). Other comments were blatantly racist, saying this is “part of the Islamic overthrow.”
Parents in Merthyr Tydfil gathered outside the civic centre on Wednesday calling for more transparency and support from the council for theic children with additional learning needs(ALN). Mother of two, Kadie Phillips, organised the protest as she said Merthyr Tydfil Council is only delegating 49% of the 100% budget into it schools. The council said that in 2025/2026 it spent £2,258 per pupil on ALN which is the highest ALN spend per pupil in Wales. “We just want change,” Kadie said. “We want to give our children voices. We want those who are in mainstream to be able to thrive in mainstream as long as they have the correct support.”
Jacs, a music venue in Aberdare, has cancelled a planned booking after a number complaints. The gig on February 26 was due to be Michale Graves, who previously played with the band Misfits. Graves testified on behalf of five members of the Proud Boys, who were involved in the January 6 attack on Washington D.C. in America, and have a reputation for promoting white supremacy. On Jacs’ Facebook page, the cancellation was explained: “After careful consideration, we have taken the decision to cancel the upcoming Michale Graves show at Jacs Aberdare. This has not been a decision made lightly. We have listened to the concerns raised, reviewed the information available to us, and reflected on our responsibility as a local, independent venue within our community. In light of everything considered, we believe cancelling the event is the right course of action.
Plaid Cymru has won two council by-elections in Caerphilly. Jeff Grenfell of Plaid was chosen as the new representative of the Van ward, ahead of Reform UK in second. And in a Van Community Council election, Alison Vyas won the seat for Plaid and will represent the Porset ward.
“Why is my long-standing NHS dentist suddenly going private?”
In January, Lee Idzi received a letter from his NHS dentist in Bedwas, a town in Caerphilly County Borough, where he had been treated since he was a child.
“The letter said that the practice was going private and the NHS would no longer become available,” the 48-year-old electrician and gas engineer told The Valleys Lead. “The price they quoted was £22.85 a month, per person.”
Lee would have to pay that price, times four – about £90 each month – to cover himself, his wife, and his two children in university.
“That’s quite expensive when things are tight,” he said
In the letter he received, the practice wrote that the Welsh Government had made changes to their dental contract, and that the new contract would allow for routine examinations to occur once every two years.
“We are passionate about helping you prevent dental disease; this can only be achieved by seeing you regularly to ensure your teeth and soft tissue remain in peak condition,” the letter read. “We are simply not prepared to compromise on the quality of your care and the service we provide.”
For this reason - to ensure quality care - the practice felt they must go private.
“It was frustrating, and very sad to receive the news,” Lee said. “I’ve paid my dues in the form of taxes, and now I’ll pay extra. It felt like a rip off.”
Lee is one of many in Caerphilly County Borough who have lost their NHS dentist this year.
Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle told The Valleys Lead that he has been “inundated” with appeals for help from constituents worried about their dentists moving to private care only.
A recent FOI seen by The Valleys Lead revealed more than 100 people in the Caerphilly area were on an NHS dental waiting list, with the longest patient waiting since May 2025.
“The availability of NHS dentists is a massive issue across Wales and is likely to worsen for many as dentists give notice and move into the private sector,” Whittle said.
Whittle explained that part of the reason the problem is getting worse is down to the new contract proposed from April by the Welsh Labour Government. It’s due to be a major overhaul, with dentists given just days to read the detail and decide whether to sign the new contract or walk away from the NHS.
The British Dental Association (BDA) Cymru has branded the move either ‘callousness or incompetence’ and warned that rushed decisions could have consequences for patient care and the long-term sustainability of NHS dentistry in Wales. The professional body has urged the Welsh Government to pause implementation of the new system for 12 months.
“More and more NHS dental patients are contacting me for help but in the short term there is little that can be done to ease the crisis,” Whittle continued. “Sadly, there is no quick solution to a problem that has been building for many years.”
Lee worked out that there was no way he’d be able to afford to pay a little over £1000 a year to cover the basic dental check-ups, which wouldn’t cover any of the “extras,” offered on the membership plan. “I’ve got other bills to pay,” Lee said.
He immediately contacted friends and colleagues to find other NHS dentists near who might be taking new patients.
“I found one four miles away,” he said, fully understanding how lucky he was to nab a spot.
Although grateful, he is “petrified” of the new dentist after having built up a repertoire with his childhood practice. “With the move to private care, continuity of care has been lost, and we are now faced with starting again, without knowing who our dentist will be or having the reassurance that comes from a long-standing relationship.”
Lee isn’t hopeful that his new dentist will continue taking NHS patients for long. “I think all dentists will go private before long,” he said. “We’re going to end up like America – paying for health insurance.”
The Welsh Government “haven’t done anything to stop this,” Lee said. “They haven’t put anything in place to try and safeguard the NHS dentists. “
He ultimately faults the Labour Government. “They don’t really care about Wales,” Lee said. “They just care about their own agendas.”
Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales East, told The Valleys Lead: “When NHS dentists of many decades are deciding to go private, the Labour Government really needs to sit up and listen. Dentists in Wales have been warning of issues for many years now. It appears that some dentists feel that their concerns have gone unheeded, leaving them to make a drastic decision.”
When Owen Griffiths put his concerns surrounding dentistry to the First Minister, Eluned Morgan, a couple of weeks ago, he was “surprised to see how relaxed she was about the trend for long-standing NHS dentists to go private.”
“There needs to be a lot more concern and urgency about the situation,” Owen Griffiths said.
Lee knows of many people part of his previous dental practice who couldn’t find another NHS dentist taking patients or couldn’t travel to NHS practices with availability.
“It puts pressure on people to take the private payment option,” he concluded. “This move to private care has not been a choice but a necessity due to the lack of available NHS dental provision locally. It demonstrates how the continued loss of NHS dentistry increases costs for families, reduces continuity of care, and makes access to dental services more difficult.”