Blackpool residents despair as survey highlights lack of dental care
- Published
Ian Simpson said he is planning to travel abroad to get the treatment he needs
People in a town where a survey failed to find a single NHS dentist taking on new patients have told how they have been left desperate and even resorting to creating makeshift dentures.
One resident, Ian Simpson, said he had spent years searching for appointments in Blackpool without success.
A UK-wide BBC investigation was unable to find any practices in the Lancashire town taking on new NHS patients.
Mr Simpson said he had now "given up" and had been left reluctant to smile.
NHS England said it had recently announced dentistry reforms to support practices to create more resources.
But Mr Simpson is among many who have voiced their frustration, and said he now intends to travel to Turkey or Italy for treatment.
"I don't smile as much as I used to. It breaks my heart. I've tried and tried. I need a bit of work doing and I was quoted £9,900 privately," he said.
The chef and former boxer added: "I had lovely teeth and always looked after them."
Oran Hodgkiss, 22, said he had travelled to Northern Ireland, where he is originally from.
The student, who is entitled to free NHS treatment, has needed treatment for a wisdom tooth for months and has been in pain.
Caroline Young makes her own dentures by melting modelling plastic
He said he tried 12 dentists without success, with only one offering to put him on an 18-month waiting list.
"It is ridiculous. I understand there are backlogs caused by Covid but not being able to get in a dentist is unbelievable," he said.
Mr Hodgkiss said he was desperate to get his teeth sorted in time for his wedding next month, and now faced "more flights and time off work".
Some people are going to extraordinary measure to do DIY dentistry as they struggle to find affordable dental care. Are we witnessing the death of NHS dentistry?
Caroline Young said she had resorted to making her own dentures by melting modelling plastic after seeing instructions on social media.
Crowns she had fitted previously had gradually fallen off, she said.
She tried superglue for a while but now uses polymorph plastic - tiny beads that melt together when submerged in hot water - which can then be moulded to make false teeth.
"It's not want I want to do. I'd rather have teeth. It means I can smile at people a little bit from a distance and not look too freaky," she said.
"There are times when I've tried to fit it, and its not worked.
"And I'll sit in floods of tears because I can't go out. I can't leave the house without something that looks even half all right. It's demoralising."
The struggle to find an NHS dentist is depressing, said Emma Clarke
Emma Clarke, from nearby Fleetwood, said she had tried dentists as far afield as Lancaster.
She chipped her front tooth at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and has problems with four other teeth.
The 39-year-old said they were "disintegrating" during her wait to find a dentist, and said she cannot afford to go private.
"It's atrocious. We shouldn't have to pay. It's unfair. It is depressing. It has really knocked my confidence." she said.
Ms Clarke added that she had also been experimenting with plastic beads.
"They are better than having no teeth," she said.
New mother Rebecca Carey needs treatment for a cracked tooth and the nearest NHS dentist she could find was in Liverpool, more than 50 miles away.
Emma Clarke said the tiny plastic beads she uses are "better than having no teeth"
"I can't eat on that side of my mouth in case of further damage," she said.
"It's disgusting. Blackpool want to keep thriving yet they can't look after their residents.
"No one has explained why they aren't taking new patients either. We're just get told 'we can't help and there's no waiting list'."
An NHS spokesman said: "The NHS recently announced the first dentistry reforms since 2006 which will support practices to improve access, including giving high performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients.
"Discussions around further changes that benefit patients and staff still ongoing."
He said the coronavirus pandemic had a "disproportionate impact" on the region which led to a disruption in routine care, with dentists prioritising urgen cases.
NHS England had invested £50m of funding to help increase access to dentists across the country, equating to more than £7m in the North West, he said.
Blackpool South MP Scott Benton said recent dental contract changes made by NHS England "should go a long way towards reducing the backlog of dental issues that grew due to the pandemic".
Anyone who has an urgent dental problem can contact the NHS dental helpline on 0300 1234 010.
The Disappearing Dentists documentary is available on the BBC iPlayer.
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