A YouGov poll finds that 10% of people admitted to attempting ‘DIY dentistry’... More than half (56%) of the group carried it out in the last year and one in five said they did so because they could not find an NHS dentist 😬
‘I had a really loose tooth which I twisted, and twisted, and twisted, until I could pull it out,’ Karen tells Metro.co.uk. ’It is quite scary to do that, but the relief is unbelievable. But then of course, the next one starts getting loose.
The Health and Social Care Committee’s examination of NHS dentistry has now seen calls for for ‘urgent and fundamental reform’, adding the evidence of pain and distress is ‘totally unacceptable in the 21st century’.
Karen explains that despite never having had major problems with her teeth, when she needed to re-fit her top denture, she was refused NHS emergency dental care because of Covid. ‘I have been a single woman since my partner died four years ago,’ Karen explains. ‘I was on the dating scene but I’m too embarrassed now. They’re not going to want to introduce someone to their family who has got no teeth! I was a normal, happy woman. Now, I just feel like, what’s the point of going on? I’m ashamed of myself, but I know it’s not my fault.’
While he did manage to have his four front teeth pulled out by an emergency dentist, he has nothing to replace them with, as emergency NHS care is typically for tooth extraction only, with the provision of dentures not provided. ‘I think private dentists have the capacity to at least open the door one day a week, for NHS dentistry, considering the pay scale they’re on. It’s sheer greed otherwise.’Since 2008/9 dentists working in the NHS have experienced cuts in real incomes of up to 40%, according to the British Dental Association.
The contract – which is still in place today – gives NHS dental practices targets to hit, known as units of dental activity , and they are financially penalised if they didn’t hit them. Treatment is divided into three bands; the most complex care – such as the provision of crowns, mouthguards, bridges or dentures – requires dentists to pay the lab fee themselves, which can equate to as much as several hundred pounds per patient.
Dr Kazi likens NHS dentistry to playing in a tennis match, where the umpire takes your tennis racket away. You’re still expected to play, and give your best possible work, with the crowd booing you in the stands. ‘The actual changes that we can make to people’s lives – either functionally, or aesthetically – can be really profound,’ he explains. ‘But the public needs to be aware that dentistry is a surgical profession, and it’s very expensive.
‘I was at a desperate point, where I was in so much pain – and knew why I was in so much pain – that I knew I had to do something,’ Anya recalls. ‘There was a tonne of blood, and I really wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve managed to alleviate the pain, but I haven’t solved the problem.’
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