A woman has shared how she took out three of her own teeth after waiting nearly seven years on an NHS dental waiting list.
Linda Colla, 76, moved from Nottingham to Ottery St Mary in Devon in 2018 and ‘immediately’ started looking for a dentist.
But Linda says she quickly found that local practices were not accepting new NHS patients.
Linda, who receives pension credit, says she couldn’t afford to seek private treatment, so when three of her teeth became loose earlier this year, she was forced to take drastic measures.
She extracted two molars and one canine tooth herself in a ‘very painful’ DIY procedure, after pain from the loose teeth was impacting her ability to eat.
‘I didn’t have any other option. When I moved down here to the south west, that’s when the problems started,’ she said.
Linda said she’s been on the waiting list for a dentist since July 2018, but was left without options, leading her to extract her own teeth – which is not recommended by the NHS or doctors.
‘It was two back teeth and a canine, and they had quite long roots. It was very painful – but I’ve apparently got a high pain tolerance,’ she explained.
Linda then had to pay £300 out of pocket for work on her dental plate in order to be able to eat again.
She says she would happily travel over 20 miles to see a dentist – but still has had no luck.
Linda hopes to find a dentist to maintain her dentures – as she says a new set would cost around £1500 if she saw a private dentist.
Now, she is sharing her story to raise awareness of the dental crisis she believes is facing the south-west of England.
‘I’ve been round local dentists, who have told me they can only take a certain amount of NHS patients due to funding, and they can’t take any more,’ she said.
‘The south west is in dire straits. The NHS contacted me a couple of times and asked if I still want to be on the waiting list, and I said of course.
‘Years later, as far as I know, I’m still on it.’
The NHS has been contacted for a statement.
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