Llanelli Mum Calls for Improvements after Daughter is Forced to make 150 Mile Trip to the Dentist
A mother from Llanelli has called for improvements to dental services after she was forced to make a 150 mile round trip for her daughter to see a dentist.
Joanne Rees was spending time with her husband and two children over Easter when her daughter, 10 year old Olivia, started to complain about toothache. Mrs Rees said that her daughter had been to see a dentist the week before and was given antibiotics to treat an abscess. However, Olivia started to suffer from severe pain on Easter Sunday and Mrs Rees set about trying to find a dentist.
Mrs Rees contacted NHS Direct in order to find an emergency dentist, but was informed that there were no available appointments in Llanelli until Tuesday. Appointments were available the next morning but only in Aberystwyth, a 75-mile drive away.
Mrs Rees said that she would have paid for private treatment because Olivia was in a lot of pain and she drove Olivia to Aberystwyth the following morning after a very unsettled night’s sleep and the troublesome tooth was extracted.
A spokeswoman for the Hywel Dda Health Board said that she was not aware of any problems relating to emergency dental cover over the Easter weekend and said that provisions were in place for three of the four days. She said that was sorry that Mrs Rees had a negative experience and invited her to get in contact with the Health Board to discuss the matter.
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