Voxletic Research · August 2026 edition
Dental care in the UK: what 46,823 Google reviews reveal
British patients complain about the front desk more than about the dentistry. Of all six countries in this index, the UK shows the widest gap between front-desk complaints and clinical ones, and getting an appointment at all ranks among the top frustrations.
Data collected April-August 2026
The clinic landscape
Source: Google Maps listings, July 2026
What patients complain about
- Front desk & access2,143
- Clinical treatment1,179
Source: 1-2 star Google reviews, LLM-classified against a 10-topic taxonomy
City by city
| City | Clinics | Avg. rating | % rated 4.5★+ | Reviews published | Highest-rated clinic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 146 | 4.40 | 64.3% | 23,171 | Teeth & Face (5.0★, 466) |
| Bristol | 151 | 4.61 | 73.2% | 11,146 | Bristol Dental Anaesthetic Clinic (4.9★, 722) |
| Edinburgh | 148 | 4.62 | 73.3% | 14,429 | The Row Dental Edinburgh (5.0★, 395) |
| Glasgow | 140 | 4.54 | 73.5% | 8,059 | Smmmile (5.0★, 108) |
| Leeds | 155 | 4.56 | 77.7% | 25,638 | Swinnow Dental (5.0★, 313) |
| Liverpool | 144 | 4.51 | 70.6% | 5,996 | Dr Rez Dental (5.0★, 461) |
| London | 167 | 4.77 | 91.5% | 27,243 | Thurloe Street Dental South Kensington (5.0★, 533) |
| Manchester | 150 | 4.46 | 68.5% | 11,672 | White Smile Ancoats - Laser teeth whitening Manchester (5.0★, 231) |
| Newcastle | 138 | 4.43 | 63.5% | 14,895 | Kingswalk Dental Implant Practice (5.0★, 609) |
| Sheffield | 148 | 4.60 | 79.8% | 18,766 | Harley Private Dental - Health & Wellbeing (5.0★, 484) |
Source: Google Maps listings per city, July 2026
Highest-rated clinics
| # | Clinic | City | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingswalk Dental Implant Practice | Newcastle | 5.0★ | 609 |
| 2 | Thurloe Street Dental South Kensington | London | 5.0★ | 533 |
| 3 | Harley Private Dental - Health & Wellbeing | Sheffield | 5.0★ | 484 |
| 4 | Teeth & Face | Birmingham | 5.0★ | 466 |
| 5 | Dr Rez Dental | Liverpool | 5.0★ | 461 |
| 6 | The Row Dental Edinburgh | Edinburgh | 5.0★ | 395 |
| 7 | The Dental Practice at Dronfield Woodhouse | Sheffield | 5.0★ | 379 |
| 8 | Higgins & Winter Dental & Implant Clinic | Newcastle | 5.0★ | 314 |
| 9 | Swinnow Dental | Leeds | 5.0★ | 313 |
| 10 | New Smile Dental Care | Leeds | 5.0★ | 304 |
Only clinics with at least 100 published Google reviews qualify; ties are ordered by review count.
Key findings
- 01
The UK has the widest front-desk complaint gap in this index: access and reception problems appear 1.82x more often than clinical complaints in 1-2 star reviews.
- 02
613 of 3,202 negative reviews (19.1%) mention the difficulty of getting an appointment - the highest share of the six countries.
- 03
The average clinic across ten UK cities holds a 4.56 rating, with 74.2% at 4.5★ or higher.
What UK practices charge
The same sweep that read these clinics read their fee pages. Each guide is the median, the cheap end and the dear end of what practices publish.
Dental implants
£2,500
median, one implant
See the rangeTooth extraction
£215
median, one tooth
See the rangeFillings
£159
median, one filling
See the rangeDentures
£928
median, one denture
See the rangeDental crowns
£750
median, one crown
See the rangeRoot canal
£550
median, one tooth
See the rangeWant to know the full methodology - sampling, tagging taxonomy, limitations? Contact us
Frequently asked questions
- How many dental clinics are there in the UK?
- This index analyzed 1,487 dental clinics visible on Google Maps across the 10 largest cities - not a complete national register, but the clinics patients actually find when they search. Of these, 1,270 have a public rating.
- What is the average Google rating of a dental clinic in the UK?
- 4.56 out of 5, computed across 1,270 rated clinics on Google Maps. 74.2% of clinics rate 4.5★ or higher and 11.2% fall below 4.0.
- What do dental patients complain about most in the UK?
- In the 3,202 one- and two-star reviews analyzed, front-desk and access problems are mentioned 1.82x more often than the clinical treatment. The most-cited operational topic: front-desk service & attitude (1,298 reviews).
- Which are the highest-rated dental clinics in the UK?
- Among clinics with at least 100 Google reviews in the cities analyzed: Kingswalk Dental Implant Practice (Newcastle, 5.0★, 609 reviews); Thurloe Street Dental South Kensington (London, 5.0★, 533 reviews); Harley Private Dental - Health & Wellbeing (Sheffield, 5.0★, 484 reviews).
- What is the best dental clinic in London?
- Judged by Google rating across the 167 clinics listed in London in this index, the highest-rated clinic with at least 50 published reviews is Thurloe Street Dental South Kensington, at 5.0★ across 533 reviews.
- What is the best dental clinic in Leeds?
- Judged by Google rating across the 155 clinics listed in Leeds in this index, the highest-rated clinic with at least 50 published reviews is Swinnow Dental, at 5.0★ across 313 reviews.
- What is the best dental clinic in Birmingham?
- Judged by Google rating across the 146 clinics listed in Birmingham in this index, the highest-rated clinic with at least 50 published reviews is Teeth & Face, at 5.0★ across 466 reviews.
- What is the best dental clinic in Sheffield?
- Judged by Google rating across the 148 clinics listed in Sheffield in this index, the highest-rated clinic with at least 50 published reviews is Harley Private Dental - Health & Wellbeing, at 5.0★ across 484 reviews.
How to cite this report
The data may be cited freely with attribution and a link to this page.
Voxletic Research, “The State of Dental Services in Europe 2026”, voxletic.com