Abstract
This article identifies the drivers that influence a patient's decision to complain about his/her care and the multifactorial reasons for this. It explores the effects complaints have on dentists and their teams and how these reactions should not be underestimated, even when the complaint can be quite minor. The article goes on to give some generic advice about complaints handling with a brief overview of the NHS procedures in the new contract and finishes with some useful strategies to prevent complaints occurring in the first place.