Patients tell how they ‘don’t smile out of embarrassment’ and live in constant pain because they can’t get an NHS dentist
People are living in constant pain and too embarrassed to smile because of the collapse in access to NHS dentistry, the Mirror can reveal.
Today we outline harrowing patient stories from around the country caused by the collapse in NHS access as part of our Dentists for All campaign. More than 260,000 people signed the Mirror’s petition calling for NHS dentistry to be rescued and many of them have written to their local MP with their own personal stories including surviving on painkillers, struggling to eat and pulling out their own remaining teeth. They tell of calling around every NHS dentist in their area to be told they are not taking on new patients, and being quoted up to £14,000 to be treated privately.
Sally Brudenell told of problems getting a dentist in North Dorset, writing: “I am in considerable and constant pain from my teeth and dental work that is decades old. I have always taken great care and pride in my teeth but now I don’t smile from embarrassment. Please help me and so many other financially poor pensioners”
Lizzie Savage, from Durham, wrote: “Please can the government invest more in dentistry for the NHS. I have been removing my own teeth over the last eight years. Eating meals is a real challenge as I then have to get my small dental kit to remove lodged food inside my gums. I am not a qualified dentist but a disabled NHS nurse.”
Monica Finlay wrote to James Asser MP, her local MP for West Ham and Beckton. She said: “I am 68 years old and retired and cannot find a dentist to carry out work on my teeth. I am a pensioner so cannot afford private dental work. I have one remaining chewing tooth which is now loose.
“I find it extremely difficult to eat and will only be able to eat soft food once the tooth falls out. I think it’s outrageous that dentistry is now out of the reach of most working class people who either cannot find a dentist or cannot afford dental treatment.”
Mother-of-five Marquita Church, 65, from Cornwall, said: “I alongside hundreds, maybe thousands of people over 65 who can not afford private dental treatment am losing all of my teeth. With no hope of getting dentures or any kind of help at all. Pulling teeth out yourself is a very painful experience. Not being able to smile is another level. We need NHS dental treatment now, not in five or ten years. Please, please help.”
Lack of funding and the outdated payment system means most dental practices are no longer accepting new adult patients. The overall NHS dentistry budget for England has remained at around £3 billion for 15 years. This has meant a £1 billion real terms cut over this period due to inflation.
It means 13 million Brits are living with an “unmet need” for dental care according to official data. Recent polling suggested that among those who could not get an NHS dental appointment, 26% performed DIY dentistry such as yanking out their own teeth and 19% went abroad for treatment.
The Mirror’s petition was set up in conjunction with the British Dental Association and campaigning platform 38 Degrees. Signatories received an email notifying them of a debate on the crisis which took place in the House of Commons last month. In response, many signatories then emailed their MP to ask them to attend. Their correspondence reveal the desperation of people calling around all dental practices in their area to no avail.
READ MORE: NHS dentistry crisis sees 250,000 people sign Mirror campaign petition demanding Dentists for All
One such signatory was Jack Nkala who wrote to his local MP for Cambridge Daniel Zeichner MP, saying the city remains a “dental desert”. He added: “There are never any spaces for NHS patients like myself. I literally reduced to using one part of my jaw to chew, due to rotten teeth and infected gums.”
Sandra Keeling, a 78-year-old widow from Lancashire, wrote that “the health service is overwhelmed and requires fixing”, adding: “I’m on a very tight budget but have recently had to book an appointment with a local dentist, the earliest date is Friday, 11th July and I have had to pay £124 up front!”
READ MORE: ‘I pulled my own tooth out with a pipe wrench because of the unbearable toothache’
David Beacham, from Derbyshire, said: “I recently had a root and crown job done at a Matlock dentist and this cost me £320 – not a small amount. They are now private only and in future that would cost £1,750. There is no way on earth I can afford that. I currently have another tooth problem, what are we supposed to do? Grin and bear it or pull my own teeth out?”
Julian Hughes, 65, from Somerset, has been a full-time carer to his wife since 2008. He said: “I have had reason to search yet again for an NHS dentist just this week as I have a tooth that needs to be removed and is extremely painful, but to no avail. am constantly phoning practices only to be told we do not take NHS patients. They do give me a rough quote for the extraction which on top of the consultancy fee amount to over £300. I cannot afford this being a carer, what on earth am I expected to do?”
One signatory was a dental practice manager from a surgery in Durham. He said: “Every day we get between 10 and 20 calls from patients in pain who cannot find an NHS dentist. It was policy under the last government to demolish NHS dentistry to save money in the NHS however nothing has changed with the new government.
“We have been contacted by patients who cannot start their cancer treatments because they need a dentist to sign them off as dentally fit before starting chemo and radiotherapy. Or consider the worsening state of children’s oral health. Or consider the oral cancers being missed because patients can’t get a regular exam. Not to mention life threatening swellings turning up at A&E.
“We kept our books open as long as we possibly could but eventually had to stop taking new patients. We are now in the situation that existing patients can’t get appointments for weeks or even months and have no diary space for new patients. Please make a difference, please help.”
READ MORE: NHS dental crisis forces desperate patients to queue down street for treatment
Jacqueline Keerie, from Derbyshire, said: “Having been a dental nurse for over 15 years and now in my 70’s I never thought in my lifetime that NHS dentistry would cease to exist. I know many people who have resorted to painful extractions by themselves. I feel thoroughly ashamed that a profession I loved is in this sorry state.”
Roland Randall wrote to his local MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom. He said: “I had polymyalgia a few years ago and my GP put me on large doses of steroids for two years. As a result I lost many of my teeth and I was quoted £14,000 for dental treatment – way beyond my budget. I know many people like me, who cannot get on a NHS list or afford treatment. Something must be done.”
Matthew McGregor, chief executive at 38 Degrees, said: “In every single constituency across the country, adults and children are living with the consequences of the dentistry crisis: pain, worry, and deteriorating dental health. So it’s no wonder that more than a quarter of a million people – including many Mirror readers – have signed our petition to save NHS dentistry and demand urgent action from the Government.
“Last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was elected on a promise to tackle the NHS dentistry crisis and reform the broken system – voters expect him to make good on that commitment. Now it’s time they deliver.”
A “flawed” NHS payment contract sees dentists make a loss on some procedures and has caused an exodus to the private sector. The incoming Labour government last year promised to reform the dental contract but negotiations have been held up by the Treasury which has been reluctant to commit to a substantial funding boost.
Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, said: “Each of these horror stories is the direct result of choices made in Westminster. Rachel Reeves can consign ‘DIY’ dentistry to the dustbin of history but without a change in tack that’s exactly where NHS dentistry is heading.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This government inherited a broken NHS dental sector after years of neglect, but we are getting on with fixing it through our Plan for Change. We’ve already begun the rollout of 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments, and a ‘golden hello’ scheme is underway to recruit dentists to areas with most need – with hundreds of posts advertised.
“We will also reform the dental contract to make NHS work more appealing to dentists, and we’ve announced a national supervised toothbrushing programme to prevent tooth decay in young children.”