Myself and my wife both attend an excellent NHS dentist (in Central Scotland). Covid has involved extra precautions. For inspections, the dentist and assistant wear their normal gear, with the addition of masks. But before they commence any work with the high speed drill, they go off and put on a more complex mask, and over-gowns which I assume are only worn once per patient. Despite the extra precautions, and the backlog from the Covid lockdowns, In early summer they still gave me a prompt appointment for a broken tooth - and a temporary treatment was carried out, although I had wait a bit longer than usual for a permanent fix. The practice also carries out private dentistry - but there is no pressure to choose it, and at 77 I'm not looking for cosmetic improvements
. I'm not aware of problems obtaining NHS dentistry in our area - there is even one in our local ASDA which is advertising for NHS patients.