North Tyneside patients put off dental treatment as living costs rise
Patients in North Tyneside are putting off going to the dentist because they can’t afford to pay for treatment, a new survey suggests.
Research carried out by Healthwatch North Tyneside revealed that 50% of adults surveyed indicated that cost was a major barrier, with many admitting that they avoided the dentist or tried to save money by doing DIY dental repairs at home.
The survey, which involved more than 230 people, showed that patients are avoiding going to the dentist because they can’t afford treatment. As the number of NHS places falls, more and more patients are also struggling to get appointments because they can’t pay for private dental care.
One resident, who receives benefits, said that they were opting to have teeth removed because they couldn’t afford to have old fillings replaced. Other patients said that it was impossible to find a local NHS dentist, which had left them worrying about how to access care, with private dentistry out of the reach of most.
In the last year, the cost of living has risen sharply, with food, petrol and energy prices all rocketing. Patients are struggling to cover the cost of dental care, especially at a time when NHS places are in short supply and more practices are switching to private dental services.
The Healthwatch report also showed that information on the NHS website was out of date and inaccurate. Many of the practices that were showing as accepting new NHS patients were not taking on new patients when contacted by Healthwatch representatives.
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