Residents of a UK town where not even a single UK Public Health System (NHS) dentist is available to treat new patients tell how they became desperate and even took to making homemade ones, following instructions posted on social media to produce dentures.
Ian Simpson, from Blackpool in northwest England, says he has been trying for years to get an appointment for a dental treatment but has been unable to do so.
A British BBC inquiry could not find any clinics in the county of Lancashire that would accept new NHS patients.
Simpson says he’s “given up” and avoids smiling.
NHS England said it recently made changes to make more resources available and to support clinics.
But Simpson says he is now planning to travel to Turkey or Italy for treatment, frustrated by the long wait.
“I don’t smile as much as I used to. It breaks my heart. I’ve tried and tried. Privately, the budget was £9,900,” he says.
The chef and former boxer adds: “I had beautiful teeth and I always took care of them.”
Oran Hodgkiss, 22, says he has had to travel to his native Northern Ireland for dental work.
The student, who is entitled to free treatment from the NHS, has been having a problem with a wisdom tooth for months and is in great pain.
2 of 4 Caroline Young made her own dentures by melting modeling resin — Photo: BBC
Caroline Young made her own dentures by melting modeling resin — Photo: BBC
He says he has unsuccessfully tried treatment at 12 dentists only one of whom offered to put him on an 18month waiting list.
“It is ridiculous. I understand there are delays caused by Covid, but not being able to get a dentist is incredible,” he laments.
Hodgkiss says he is desperate to get his teeth fixed in time for his wedding next month and is now facing “more flights and absenteeism from work”.
Caroline Young says she had to resort to making her own prosthetics by melting modeling plastic after seeing instructions on social media.
The crowns she put on earlier fell off, she explains.
Young tried superglue for a while, but now he’s using polymorph plastic — tiny beads that melt when dipped in hot water — and molding them into artificial teeth.
“It’s not what I wanted to do. I’d rather have teeth. So I can smile at people a little bit from a distance and not look too weird,” she says.
“There were times when I tried to adapt and it didn’t work. Then I cry because I can’t walk. I can’t leave the house. It’s demoralizing.”
Dentists warn that homemade dentures not only pose a choking hazard, but also food traps that can trigger severe tooth decay and gum damage.
3 of 4 The difficulty of finding an NHS dentist is ‘depressing’, says Emma Clarke — Photo: Emma Clarke via BBC
The difficulty of finding an NHS dentist is ‘depressing’, says Emma Clarke Photo: Emma Clarke via BBC
Emma Clarke, from nearby Fleetwood, says she’s tried dentists as far away as Lancaster.
She chipped a front tooth early in the coronavirus pandemic and has issues with four others.
The 39yearold woman says her teeth were “crumbling” while waiting to find a dentist and she can’t afford to pay for private consultations.
“It’s cruel. We shouldn’t have to pay. It’s not fair. It’s depressing. It really shook my confidence,” he laments.
Clarke adds that he is also turning to homemade plastic prosthetics.
“They’re better than no teeth,” she says.
4 of 4 Emma Clarke says the little plastic beads she uses “are better than not having teeth” — Photo: Emma Clarke via BBC
Emma Clarke says the little plastic beads she uses “are better than not having teeth” — Photo: Emma Clarke via BBC
Rebecca Carey, who recently became a mother, needs treatment for a chipped tooth and the nearest NHS dentist she could find was in Liverpool, more than 50 miles away.
“I can’t eat from that side of my mouth, so I don’t have any further damage,” she says.
“It is disgusting. The town of Blackpool wants to keep thriving, but it can’t take care of its residents. No one has explained why they are not accepting new patients. They just told us, ‘We can’t help and there’s no waiting list’.”
An NHS spokesman said: “The NHS recently announced the first dental reforms since 2006, which will help clinics improve access, including the ability to allow highperforming clinics to increase activity and treat more patients. ”
“Discussions about other changes that will benefit patients and staff are ongoing,” he said.
The spokesman added that the coronavirus pandemic has had a “disproportionate impact” on the region, leading to a disruption in routine care, with dentists prioritizing urgent cases.
NHS England has invested £50million to improve access to dentists across the country, equivalent to more than £7million in North West England alone, he concluded.
MP Scott Benton says recent changes to dentists’ contracts made by NHS England “should go a long way in reducing the backlog of dental problems that have arisen as a result of the pandemic”.