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NHS dentists accepting children

Practices across the North of England recorded as accepting new NHS patients under 18, grouped by area.

Written by Sul Malik, dental student at Newcastle University and founder of DentalCompare · Updated 30 October 2026

102

practices recorded as accepting new NHS patients under 18

57 of them are taking children only, not adults. Statuses were checked between 29 October 2026 and 3 November 2026. Availability changes often, so phone the practice to confirm before you go.

NHS dental care is free for children

In England, NHS dental treatment is free for anyone under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education.

NHS: who gets free dental care

Northumberland

Northumberland (12)

All NHS dentists in Northumberland

Tyne and Wear

Newcastle (14)

All NHS dentists in Newcastle

Gateshead (13)

All NHS dentists in Gateshead

Sunderland (9)

All NHS dentists in Sunderland

North Tyneside (8)

All NHS dentists in North Tyneside

South Tyneside (5)

All NHS dentists in South Tyneside

Washington (1)

All NHS dentists in Washington

County Durham and Darlington

Durham (6)

All NHS dentists in Durham

Consett (1)

All NHS dentists in Consett

Peterlee (1)

All NHS dentists in Peterlee

Bishop Auckland (1)

All NHS dentists in Bishop Auckland

Teesside

Middlesbrough (2)

All NHS dentists in Middlesbrough

Stockton-on-Tees (5)

All NHS dentists in Stockton-on-Tees

Hartlepool (2)

All NHS dentists in Hartlepool

Redcar (6)

All NHS dentists in Redcar

York, North and East Yorkshire

York (4)

All NHS dentists in York

North Yorkshire (9)

All NHS dentists in North Yorkshire

East Yorkshire (3)

All NHS dentists in East Yorkshire

No practice is currently recorded as accepting new NHS patients under 18 in: Darlington.

How to register your child

  1. Phone a practice from the list above and ask to register your child as a new NHS patient.
  2. In England you can use any NHS practice; you are not limited to the one nearest your home.
  3. If the practice is full, ask whether they keep a waiting list, then try the next one.
  4. You can also search the NHS find a dentist service.

If you can't find a place

  • If your child needs urgent dental care, call NHS 111. More on urgent care.
  • Check nearby areas: some practices taking children are a short drive away.
  • Sign up for a free alert and we will email you when a practice near you starts accepting new NHS patients for children.
Get an NHS dentist alert

Where this information comes from

Each practice's NHS status is updated by hand from NHS.uk and practice information, and shows the date it was last checked. Practices whose status has not been confirmed are never listed as accepting. DentalCompare does not book appointments or hold places.

NHS dentists accepting new adult patients

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