A Somerset woman was “brought to tears” by the cost of private dental care she sought after being unable to find a local NHS provider.
Her case comes as Healthwatch Somerset, the county's independent health and care champion, claims the county's residents are unable to register as new NHS dentist patients for routine care.
It also said a third of the calls it received in the three months to February were about problems accessing NHS dentistry, with many of the calls concerning children, pregnant women, and people who cannot afford private dental care.
The NHS has set up a phoneline to help people access emergency dental care, but Healthwatch Somerset said patients need to find an NHS dentist to complete the work following the emergency care.
Lydia Davies, who moved to Bridgwater in early 2020, suffers from a gum disease called gingivitis and her gums frequently bleed when she brushes her teeth.
She also needs two new fillings and a wisdom teeth removal procedure.
Lydia told the PA News Agency that she has not been able to find an NHS dentist within a two-hour radius so decided to look for private treatment.
“Sitting in the dentist’s office, listening to the list of treatments, the cost of £1,100 brought me to tears,” she said.
“These costs were on top of the £50 I had to spend to have the appointment.”
She added: “Whenever I eat and feel a twinge, my heart drops – I panic that something terrible is happening again, I am anxious all the time and my mental health suffers because of it.
“It isn’t fair for people who earn high salaries to be using a cheap NHS dental service whilst others on low incomes go into debt trying to look after themselves.
“There’s no version of private dentistry that’s affordable.
“Even using the word ‘affordable’ for private dental care is a slap in the face when you are paying your taxes towards a vital service you have no access to.”
Healthwatch Somerset also warned that some elderly people in care homes were being struck off NHS dentist lists after not being able to attend an appointment throughout the pandemic.
Healthwatch England, the national body representing patients, believes lack of access to NHS dentistry is deepening health inequalities across the country.
It says there is a “twin crisis” of access and affordability in NHS dentistry following a survey of 2,000 adults.
The survey found that around 49 per cent of people think NHS dental charges are “unfair” amid the rising cost of living.
Around 41 per cent of respondents have experienced difficulty booking an NHS dental appointment, and almost a quarter (24 per cent) said they had to pay privately to access care.
Healthwatch England has called for the Department of Health and Social Care to reform the health service's contracts with dentists.
This comes after the Association of Dental Groups found that 2,000 dentists quit the NHS last year.
Louise Ansari, national director at Healthwatch England, said: “Access to NHS dentistry has been one of the most significant issues people have raised with us in the last two years.
“There is now a deepening crisis in dental care, leaving people struggling to get treatment or regular check-ups on the NHS.
“The shortage of NHS appointments is creating a two-tier dental system, which widens inequalities and damages the health of the most disadvantaged communities.”
Healthwatch Somerset manager Gill Keniston-Goble said: “In the past year, 22 per cent of our feedback has been about people not being able to find an NHS dentist.
“People are telling us they have called many dentists but cannot find one taking new patients.
“We are also hearing from the public that NHS England is advising there are no dentists taking new NHS patients in Somerset.
“One piece of feedback we received was about dental care in care homes – residents who were registered with NHS dentists pre-Covid have now been removed from their original dental practices lists because they were unable to visit as they were bed-bound or immobile.
“We therefore welcome the news from NHS England and NHS Improvement South-West that changes have been made to the Somerset dental helpline and people living in Somerset who are not registered with a dental practice should call NHS 111 if they need urgent treatment or advice.”
🦷 If you need urgent dental care and do not have a dentist, you can access NHS 111 online or by phone.
— NHS (@NHSuk) September 20, 2020
➡️ https://t.co/8VfK81wKlB ⬅️#HelpUsHelpYou pic.twitter.com/IXQgK9zSys
An NHS spokesperson said: “Dentistry is an important NHS service and that’s why we have taken unprecedented action to support NHS dentists including providing financial protection to ensure dental practices can continue to offer valuable services for patients, and committing up to an additional £50 million for people requiring urgent care treatment.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: “We’ve given the NHS £50 million to fund up to 350,000 extra dental appointments and we are growing the workforce so people can get the oral care they need.
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve asked dentists to prioritise available capacity on vulnerable groups and those with an urgent need, while continuing to provide free dental care to groups such as pregnant women, young people, and those on low-income benefits.
“Now as we learn to live with Covid, we are committed to levelling up health outcomes – including on dental issues – across the country, and ensuring that everyone has the chance to live longer and healthier lives, regardless of background.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here