Swansea man extracts his own tooth after struggling to find a dentist
A man from Swansea has extracted his own tooth after struggling to find a dentist.
Carlton Hill, a project manager, chipped one of his molars at the start of the pandemic. At the time, he saw an emergency dentist who packed the tooth and administered antibiotics. Carlton was advised to book an appointment for further treatment on the tooth, but he found it impossible to locate a practice that was taking on new patients.
Carlton contacted a host of practices in and around Swansea, but he got the same response every time. None of the clinics had openings for new NHS patients. After a couple of months, Carlton’s tooth had shattered, and the root was exposed. Still unable to get an appointment, he felt that he had no choice but to remove the remaining tooth structure himself and he started pulling at the tooth with pliers.
Carlton called NHS Direct again after removing the remnants of the damaged tooth but was informed that he couldn’t get an emergency appointment because all they would be able to do was to reduce the pain, rather than extract the remaining tooth roots.
Recently, Carlton cracked another molar and went through a similar process. He contacted the NHS looking to make an emergency dental appointment but was told to see a dentist because the urgent care service would only be able to ease the pain rather than treating the underlying cause. Carlton has continued to try to get an appointment in Swansea with no luck. As a result, he took measures into his own hands again and trimmed the jagged tooth using a wireless Dremel tool.
Carlton said that he is anxious about what is going to happen in the months ahead. There is a high risk of further dental problems, practices are still not accepting new patients and the cost of fixing his teeth is likely to be significant. He added that the situation could have been avoided if he had been able to make a dental appointment in the first place.
Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s general dental practice committee, said that the current situation is “really serious.” Patients up and down the country are struggling with dental issues, which they cannot fix because they can’t get an appointment.
The government recently confirmed additional funding worth £50 million to fund 350,000 extra dental appointments outside of normal working hours.
For more news click here.
Join this Discussion