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NHS dentist search man pulls out own tooth after 18-month wait | NHS dentist search man pulls out own tooth after 18-month wait |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A man has claimed he pulled out one of his own teeth after waiting more than 18 months to find an NHS dentist. | A man has claimed he pulled out one of his own teeth after waiting more than 18 months to find an NHS dentist. |
David Woodhouse, 62, from Truro, said he had been unable to find a NHS surgery in Cornwall. | |
An NHS emergency treatment centre offered to extract the tooth in December 2018 but Mr Woodhouse said that would not deal with his long-term problem with a dental plate. | |
Three weeks later he took out the tooth himself with a pair of pliers. | |
Mr Woodhouse said: "I had a loose one and it was causing me a little bit of pain, so I got the needle-nose pliers and out it came. | |
"I could have had the tooth extracted but what I need is a term of treatment from the dentist." | |
NHS England encouraged those in need of urgent dental care to contact its emergency helpline. | NHS England encouraged those in need of urgent dental care to contact its emergency helpline. |
'Long-term pain' | |
The British Dental Association said NHS dental care was "increasingly a postcode lottery" with problems across the country. | |
Healthwatch Cornwall, the county's health watchdog, said access to NHS dentists was the number one issue people contacted them about. | |
It said some people had been waiting more than three years to register with a dentist. | |
Mr Woodhouse used to go for regular check-ups at his local practice, but returned from a period working abroad to find that he had lost his place. | |
He said: "The removal itself was considerably less painful than the long-term pain I was experiencing. | |
"I'm not looking forward to the next tooth coming loose, I may have to consider a bank loan to go private, but why should I?" | |
There are more than 48,000 people on the waiting list in Devon and Cornwall, according to NHS England. | There are more than 48,000 people on the waiting list in Devon and Cornwall, according to NHS England. |
A search on the NHS website reveals that just one practice in Cornwall is accepting new patients. | A search on the NHS website reveals that just one practice in Cornwall is accepting new patients. |
Mr Woodhouse said the notifications on the website were often out of date. | |
'I'd go anywhere' | |
Latest NHS figures showed about 52% of adults in Devon and Cornwall had seen an NHS dentist in the past two years, slightly above the average for England. | Latest NHS figures showed about 52% of adults in Devon and Cornwall had seen an NHS dentist in the past two years, slightly above the average for England. |
"It's like looking for gold dust. When you go on the waiting list you have to specify three towns, but I would go anywhere within 100 miles of Truro," Mr Woodhouse said. | "It's like looking for gold dust. When you go on the waiting list you have to specify three towns, but I would go anywhere within 100 miles of Truro," Mr Woodhouse said. |
"I would go anywhere within half a day's drive - I do not care." | "I would go anywhere within half a day's drive - I do not care." |
A spokesperson for NHS England said: "We would encourage anyone with an urgent dental need to contact the emergency dental helpline in Cornwall." | |
About 27,000 people have been placed with NHS dentists in Devon and Cornwall in the past 12 months. | About 27,000 people have been placed with NHS dentists in Devon and Cornwall in the past 12 months. |
The cost of a tooth extraction with an NHS dentist is £59.10, and privately can be anywhere between £50 and £370. according to the Which? consumer group. | The cost of a tooth extraction with an NHS dentist is £59.10, and privately can be anywhere between £50 and £370. according to the Which? consumer group. |