Let's be straight with you: we're a private practice

Trying to find an NHS dentist in Rugby?

You've probably already discovered the problem: practices not taking new NHS patients, waiting lists, and a toothache that isn't interested in waiting. This page gives you both halves honestly — how to actually pursue NHS care, and what private care here really costs (it's less than most people assume).

  • New-patient check-up £45 for a limited time (usually £65)
  • In pain? £50 emergency appointments, usually same-day
  • Routine care covered from £22/month on our Dental Plan
See the £45 check-up   In pain? Call 01788 579 577

The honest bit first

How to actually look for NHS dental care

We'd rather help you properly than pretend this isn't hard. If NHS care is what you need, here's the genuine route:

Search & ring around

The NHS "find a dentist" search at nhs.uk lists practices near you — and it's worth ringing to ask directly, as availability changes all the time: "Are you taking new NHS patients, and how long is the wait?"

In pain right now?

Call NHS 111 — they can book urgent dental slots at regional hubs when your own options are exhausted. It's triaged, so severe cases come first and you may travel.

Get on lists anyway

Waiting lists do move. Put your name down where you can — and nothing stops you sorting the urgent problem privately now while you wait for an NHS place for routine care later. Plenty of people do exactly that.

No lecture from us about any of it. NHS dentistry done well is good dentistry — the problem is getting in the door.

The bit most people are surprised by

What private actually costs here

Most people picture private dentistry as hundreds of pounds just to walk in. Here's the real menu — every price published, confirmed in writing, no membership required:

Check-up · £45

Full new-patient examination with X-rays and a written plan — £45 for a limited time (usually £65). Children's check-ups are £20. The £45 check-up →

Emergency · £50

Same-day slots held every day for pain, swelling and breakages — call before 10am for the best chance. Emergency appointments →

Routine care · £22/mo

The Dental Plan covers your check-ups and Airflow® hygiene visits, includes free check-ups for members' children, and takes 10% off treatment. The Dental Plan →

Bigger treatment — from fillings to implants — is on the full price list, with 0% finance available to spread the cost.

A fair comparison

NHS and private — the honest differences

What the NHS does well

Clinically necessary care at set nationwide charges — when you can get in, it covers what your health needs. If cost is the deciding factor and you can wait, it's the right answer, and we'll say so.

What private buys you

Getting seen this week, longer unhurried appointments, the same dentist each visit, wider material and cosmetic options — and prices agreed in writing before anything starts, so "private" never means "open-ended".

Asked every week on our phones

NHS questions, answered honestly

Do you take NHS patients?
No — we're a fully private practice and don't hold an NHS contract, so we can't offer NHS charges. What that buys you instead: appointments this week rather than months away, no waiting list, longer visits, and every price in writing. This page exists because we'd rather tell you straight than waste your phone call.
Why is it so hard to find an NHS dentist taking new patients?
NHS dentistry is delivered through fixed contracts — each practice is funded for a set amount of NHS work per year, and when that allocation is full, they can't take more NHS patients however much they'd like to. It's a capacity problem, not a you problem — and it's why ringing around and joining waiting lists genuinely is the route in.
I'm in pain and can't get an NHS appointment. What are my options?
Two honest routes: call NHS 111, who can triage you into an urgent NHS dental slot (severity-based, may involve travel) — or call us on 01788 579 577 for a £50 same-day emergency appointment where we'll diagnose the problem, get you out of pain, and give you written options with no obligation to go further. More on emergency appointments →
Isn't private dentistry really expensive?
Less than most people think for everyday care: £45 for a full new-patient check-up (limited time; usually £65), £20 for children, hygiene with Airflow® £92, and the £22/month plan covers your routine visits entirely. Bigger treatments cost real money — but they're all published openly, quoted in writing first, and 0% finance can spread them. The expensive version of dentistry is usually the problem left untreated.
Can my children be seen here?
Yes — children's check-ups are £20, and if you join the Dental Plan (from £22/month), your children's check-ups are included free. Getting kids seen regularly while you wait for NHS places is one of the most common reasons families first come to us — more on children’s & family visits here.
Can I use you now and switch to the NHS later?
Of course — there's no lock-in, no membership requirement, and no hard feelings. Some patients sort an urgent problem with us and move to an NHS practice when a place comes up; plenty find the £22/month plan means they simply stop worrying about the waiting lists. Both are fine outcomes.

The genuinely useful bit

Still set on finding an NHS dentist? Use this checklist.

No catch — this is the practical route in, whether or not you ever set foot in our practice.

1

Search, then ring — monthly

Start at the NHS find-a-dentist search, but treat it as a phone list, not gospel — availability changes faster than the website. Ask two questions: "Are you taking new NHS patients?" and "How long is the wait?" Then ring again next month — books open quietly, without announcements.

2

Widen the circle

Try Coventry, Leamington, Daventry and Lutterworth too — a 20-minute drive twice a year beats having no dentist at all. And ask about children separately: practices are often able to take under-18s on the NHS even when adult books are closed.

3

In pain? That's 111

Call NHS 111 (or use 111.nhs.uk online). They can book urgent NHS dental slots at regional hubs — triaged by severity, and you may travel, but it is a real route to urgent NHS care without being registered anywhere.

4

Ask Healthwatch Warwickshire

The independent local health watchdog collects up-to-date reports on which practices are actually accepting NHS patients — often fresher than any list. healthwatchwarwickshire.co.uk

5

Check if NHS care is free for you

Under-18 (or under 19 in full-time education), pregnant or a baby in the last 12 months, or on certain benefits? NHS dental care is free for you — and the NHS Low Income Scheme (HC2/HC3 certificates) helps many others. If that's you, the NHS hunt is worth extra persistence, and we'll say so.

6

While you wait

Join every waiting list you're offered — they do move. Keep our number (01788 579 577) for anything urgent in the meantime: no registration needed, seen same-day where possible. Mixing the two is normal, not naughty.

One more offer: already have an NHS treatment plan and wondering whether to go private for it? Bring it to a free chat — sometimes the NHS route is the better deal, and we'll tell you so.

Two ways this goes

You get seen this week

A £45 check-up (or a £50 emergency slot if you're in pain), a written plan with real prices, and the problem you've been carrying finally has a shape and a cost. Then you decide — including deciding to wait for the NHS with a clear conscience.

You keep ringing round

More "sorry, our list is closed", while the niggle does what niggles do. If the NHS route works out for you, genuinely — good. Just don't let the search itself become the reason nothing gets looked at.

No pressure, no judgement

Talk to a human about your options

Call 01788 579 577 and ask for Georgia, our treatment co-ordinator — or leave your number and she'll ring you back. She'll tell you honestly what's worth doing privately and what can wait.

Book the £45 check-up

Thanks — Georgia will call you back within working hours. Talk soon.

Rugby Smiles Dental Clinic · 3 Newbold Road, Rugby CV21 2LQ · Free parking outside the door

In pain? Call now £45 check-up