I think the key is "most people who have a choice". That translates as "most people who can afford to spend a few grand per year on dentistry without really noticing".
I guess parent is a bit more upper-middle class than you.
I guess parent is a bit more upper-middle class than you.
For this I get 4 cleans/checkups a year and a zealous hygiene regime. I also get some insurance for accidental trauma too.
Sure, if you do need major work it's going to be expensive but the emphasis is very much aimed at preventing this. In the past 15 years or so I have had minimal work done.
Relying on an NHS practice is, as indicated in other replies, a bit of a lottery and you'll be hard pressed to get decent treatment for something serious. Partly because some dentists are not qualified to do stuff like root canal and partly because of funding restrictions - they just don't want that kind of work.
Having said that, things have improved since my childhood when NHS dentists were payed per filling. You can imagine how that worked out in many case.
Edit: Pretty sure I pay £30 odd a month and I've had root canal treatment, new crowns, etc.
If you need a simple crown that is subsidized if not completely by the NHS you'll be able to offload it to the insurance pretty easily, if you want the top of the line ceramic crowns that cost 1500-2000 GBP no insurance will actually cover that.