A man has launched a petition calling for more NHS dentists after his partner begged him to pull out her tooth with pliers while waiting for a dental appointment.
Josh Keeling has launched a petition after his partner suffered agonising pain while waiting for a dental appointment.
The couple were unable to find an emergency dentist appointment within 60 miles of their home.
As a result, Josh’s petition, with some 274,ooo signatures, calls for more NHS dentists.
‘Absolute agony’
Josh launched the petition after his partner, Olivia, was in ‘more pain than she’d ever been in.’
Unable to find an emergency dentist, she begged him to rip out her tooth with pliers.
Josh said: ‘She’d been to an NHS dentist just before the pandemic and he’d drilled the wrong tooth.
‘When we moved, she was told it would be an 18-month wait for a new NHS dentist to fix it.
‘I just remember Olivia in absolute agony, more pain than she’d ever been in.
‘I called all the local dentists and they said they weren’t taking any patients and to call 111.’
‘It would have been hell’
Olivia was unable to get an emergency dental appointment, however.
Therefore, she was forced to use money from family members and their savings to pay for private dental care. She had to pay £600 for her treatment, a root canal and fillings, as a result.
‘Every avenue we went down I just kept getting turned away,’ Olivia said.
‘I couldn’t eat, sleep, talk, it was overwhelming. To think I could have had the pain for 18 months, it would have been hell.’
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Breaking point
This comes after the BBC carried out a comprehensive investigation into NHS dentistry.
Described by the BDA as, ‘The the most extensive survey of patient access ever undertaken,’ the investigation found NHS dentistry to be at breaking point.
The investigation found that nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment.
In addition, eight in 10 NHS practices are not taking on new children for treatment.
Since the pandemic, many practices have been operating at full capacity with patients waiting months for an appointment.
As well as this, inaccessibility of NHS dentistry has driven some patients to resort to DIY dentistry or pull out their own teeth in desperation.
The BDA has found that it would take an additional £880 million a year to restore funding to 2010 levels.
As a result, it has called for the government to ‘stop rearranging the deckchairs’ and urgently commit to a ‘fair funding settlement and fundamental reform of the service’.
Bleak situation
Thousands of dentists have left NHS dentistry since the pandemic. After feeling ‘chewed up and spat out’ by the government, more are expected to follow.
‘Dentists across England are currently in the bleakest situation they have ever been in,’ Josh has said.
‘There needs to be a dentistry reform in England whereby more NHS slots are offered up for people who cannot afford the higher prices of private care.
‘There needs to be more access for immediate and free dental care in emergencies so that people aren’t forced to extract their own teeth.
‘Private dentist practices need to be encouraged and paid fairer by the NHS to take more NHS patients to help ease the oral health crisis.
‘The NHS contract for dentists needs to change, and change for the better!’
Contract changes
The government recently announced ‘significant changes’ to the NHS dental contract.
The NHS hopes the changes made will improve access to dental care across the country.
In addition, the NHS hopes the contract changes will increase the availability of dentists, allowing dental services to recover.
However, Shawn Charwood, chair of the BDA’s general dental practice committee, does not believe the changes will improve the system.
He has said: ‘These are modest, marginal changes that will not fix the rotten foundations this service is built on.
‘Our patients need ministers to do more than paper over the cracks. These tweaks will do precious little to keep dentists in the NHS or ensure millions get the care they urgently need.
‘The simple fact is not a penny of new investment has been pledged, and government targets will still come before patient care.’
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