Lack of NHS dentists forced Warwickshre woman into DIY dentistry to stop the pain
A WOMAN has told the Herald how she was in so much agony with a tooth abscess, she was forced into DIY dentistry to stop the pain.
The 41-year-old, who lives near Shipston, suffered terrible toothache for weeks after being unable to find an NHS dentist.
Unable to sleep or eat properly, she rang the 111 NHS helpline and was advised to go to hospital. But after a three-hour wait was told they weren’t qualified to carry out dentistry.
Samii Humberstone described the pain from the abscess on her back tooth as “absolutely horrendous”.
In desperation, she lanced it herself.
She told the Herald: “The pressure behind my tooth was horrendous.
“I’d had enough and was at the point where I was literally willing to rip my tooth out, I was in so much pain.”
She added: “No one was willing to help me. What else was I supposed to do?”
Samii, who has three adult children, said she had a temperature, her face was swollen and her mouth hurt “worse than being in labour”.
She phoned every dentist in the Stratford district listed on the official NHS dentist website but none were taking on new adult NHS patients.
Eventually, after calling 111, her partner drove her to the Horton in Banbury.
She explained: “I know they’re busy and the last thing I wanted to do was to go to hospital with a tooth problem, but I was at the end of my tether.
“I waited for three or four hours and was crying in agony. My whole body was shaking – I was really poorly.”
Samii is, sadly, not alone in her experience.
One in ten people have attempted DIY dentistry, according to a recent survey.
More than half (56 per cent) of those did it in the past year, while a fifth (20 per cent) did so because they couldn’t find an NHS dentist.
The YouGov poll of 2,104 Brits carried out in March this year also revealed that more than one in five people are not registered with a dentist.
Almost a quarter of those with no dentist say it’s because they can’t afford treatment.
For this story, the Herald called 14 dentists on the NHS dentist list for the Stratford district and all 14 told us they are not currently accepting new adult NHS patients.
Sammi is worried that the infection that caused her tooth abscess has spread to her neck, where she has a piercing.
She said: “I’ve tried so hard to get a dentist – I’ve tried every single dentist in the area – but nowhere is taking on new NHS patients over 18. I’ve tried everything.”
Samii, who is unable to work as she has an auto-immune disease, added: “You can’t get help anywhere.
“There’s nothing you can do for your teeth anymore, unless you’ve got the money to pay for private dentistry, which I haven’t and I know I’m not the only one.”
What’s happened to NHS dentists?
THE contract for NHS dentists, put in place in 2006, is based around the number of ‘Units of Dental Activity’ (UDAs) that must be delivered each year to qualify for the NHS scheme.
Core bands are based on the complexity and urgency of treatment needed, and these determine the number of UDAs the dentist earns.
UDAs are awarded for a course of treatment, rather than every item of treatment, which means NHS dentists can end up earning just £70 for several long sessions.
It’s not just about money, many dentists say there is too much pressure to see too many NHS patients in a short time and that prevention is not rewarded.
The Health and Social Care Committee is calling for the government to ditch the existing system urgently and replace it with a better one.
But it warns it may be too late to persuade dentists to stay in the NHS, or win back those who’ve already left to go private.