Nine-year-old girl left in tears by long wait for dental treatment

Grace is one of 200 people on an emergency waiting list

A girl has been left "crying in the night" after waiting nine months to have a tooth removed.

Grace, nine, from Leicestershire, was put on a list in January but needs a general anaesthetic to have it extracted.

Her mother, Heather, said her daughter has missed time at school, lost sleep and even had her face swell up.

NHS England said while its dental activity had risen significantly, it faced "real challenges".

Heather said it started in October 2020 with a small cavity but, despite getting a filling, the pain came back.

'Cruel wait'

Grace said: "It's horrible, it's really bad.

"It happens every few weeks and then I have to eat soft food and can't jump or run without pain"

After the pain recently became worse, their dentist diagnosed an abscess.

Heather said: "She was crying in the night, she couldn't sleep and has missed days of school.

"It's been a year and we don't have a date.

"In fact we don't known whether it is going to be weeks, months or even another year.

"It feels cruel to keep a nine-year-old waiting for all this time."

Grace has missed time at school due to the pain in her tooth

Grace has been put on an emergency waiting list but that does not guarantee immediate treatment.

Heather said: "We've been told there are 2,000 people on the waiting list for hospital dental work and 200 on the emergency list for extractions.

"We even looked into private care but that will still involved a wait and cost £2,500."

Philip Martin, chair of British Dental Association for East Midlands, said: "With the lockdowns, they have delayed things but even after lockdowns have ended, within the hospitals some of the theatres which would have been used for general anaesthetics and dentistry are having to be used for more urgent services like cancer patients."

An NHS England spokesperson said waiting times were being closely monitored.

"Although levels of NHS dental activity in the Midlands have risen safely and significantly, dental teams continue to face real challenges," they said.