text: the dentists in uk generally have a choice as to whether they work all privately, all NHS (national health service) or a combination of the two. the only time dental treatment is provided "free" in the UK is for people on benefits, children or pregnant or nursing mothers. Even if the patient opts to have the treatment on the NHS there are still scales of charges dependant on the treatment provided. Private dentists would obviously charge a good amount for their work and this combined with an acute shortage of NHS dentists is one reason why many people in the UK do not have the standard of oral care that they themselves may wish for. This is generally as a direct consequence of the governments new contracts issued to dentists over the past few months that has caused many of them to opt for a mainly private practice. So, yes, we in the UK may not have the best teeth around and again I say, blame Tony Blair and his idiotic ways pf administering a Health service that was professed to be "free from the cradle to the grave" by his Labour predecessors that originated the health service back in the 1940`s.\nIncidentally we pay a tax known as National Insurance that is supposed to cover health care expenditure,so it is not really free anyway.