Bridlington man fixes broken crown with £4 DIY kit amid dentist shortage
A man from Bridlington repaired a broken crown using a £3.99 DIY kit recently after struggling to find an NHS dentist.
Anthony Watson hasn’t had an NHS dentist for several years and said there was no way he could afford to pay to see a private dentist. When he broke a tooth that was already damaged biting into a cookie, he started searching for a solution online.
Anthony explored a range of DIY repair products, eventually choosing a £3.99 dental kit from Amazon, which was delivered the next day. Following the instructions at home, Anthony added five clear beads to boiling water to create a makeshift crown around the tooth, which he then secured using superglue.
There has been a shortage of NHS dental places in Bridlington for a few years but the situation has got worse in the last six months. Two of the town’s dental practices have closed and there is now only one clinic offering NHS services. There are no appointments available for new patients and even the private practices have a waiting list.
Anthony is one of a growing number of patients taking dental care into their own hands. Alex Gray, a retired roofer, has now extracted six of his teeth using pliers because he cannot find a dentist in Lincolnshire. He moved to the county six years ago and has never been able to find a practice that is accepting new NHS patients. Talking about his experience, he said that he has paid his taxes all his working life and can’t even get a dental appointment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said that the government is committed to increasing NHS capacity and improving access to NHS dental care. The most recent GP Patient Survey suggested that 75% of patients who tried to get a dental appointment in the last 24 months were successful.
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