Man pulls own tooth with pliers amid NHS struggle

Chris Langston has warned others not to extract their own teeth

A man who pulled out his own tooth amid a struggle to find an NHS dentist has said he is no closer to finding one after his DIY effort with pliers.

Chris Langston, from Oswestry in Shropshire, extracted a back molar after enduring, he said, six months of agony.

In his quest to get an NHS appointment, the 50-year-old claimed he even travelled to Wales but still could not get his troublesome tooth examined.

Professionals have previously warned against people pulling out their own teeth, citing a list of risks.

Last week Prime Minister Rishi Sunak admitted it was "too difficult" to get access to an NHS dentist.

Mr Langston said he was forced to literally take matters into his own hands when the pain in his tooth became so bad, he could not eat or drink and even had trouble speaking.

Recalling his excruciating toothache, he told the BBC: "It got to a point where every time I swallowed... I could just feel this tooth rattling against the other teeth - like a loose typewriter key."

But he explained he had no alternative but to act as he did because he was unable to get an emergency dentist appointment or afford to go private.

It took him, he said, four attempts to extract the problem tooth.

He said he hoped his ordeal would help others in similar pain to get appointments.

It took Mr Langston four attempts to remove his painful molar, he said

Mr Langston explained: "I am not doing this to show off - because it is a weird thing to show off about.

"If this inches a little further to get some NHS places in Oswestry then I have done a bit towards it - I would also like a space myself."

Discussing how his mouth had healed, he added: "It was a very odd feeling, there wasn't much blood when it came out and it has now just closed up.

"I swilled with salt water but yeah, it has healed fine."

Despite his instant relief, he echoed the guidance of professionals, saying: "I would not recommend doing this."

Under ministers' £200m NHS dentistry plans unveiled last week, dentists were set to be offered cash to accept new patients, and given £20,000 "golden hellos" to work in under-served communities.

Mobile dental teams would also be deployed to schools in under-served areas, according to the government.