Wednesday 21 September 2022 12:08 AM 20% of Britons resort to DIY dentistry like pulling their own teeth out with ... trends now
One in five Britons are resorting to 'DIY dentistry' due to a drought of NHS dental appointments, a shocking poll suggests.
Some of the methods desperate people have resorted to include pulling blackened teeth out with pliers, to making homemade false teeth with resin and superglue.
It is the latest sign of the ongoing NHS dental crisis in the UK, which has left people no choice but to pay huge private fees or go without.
The Liberal Democrat-commissioned poll found about quarter of Britons had failed to get an appointment with their local NHS dentist in the past year.
Of these, 21 per cent resorted to DIY dentistry. Almost one in three gave up seeking NHS dental care altogether.
The Lib Dems called the result a 'national scandal' and are calling on Government to introduce an NHS winter rescue package, including plans to recruit more dentists.
Responding to the poll, the British Dental Association (BDA) said ministers must offer more support to stop the 'horror show' of 'Victorian era' DIY dentistry.
The findings follow official NHS data last month, which showed two-thirds of English adults have not seen an NHS dentist since the early days of Covid.
NHS dentistry has been in crisis for many years, but the situation has worsened since Britain emerged from the pandemic.
There are increasing reports of Britons resorting to DIY dentistry as they struggle to see an NHS dentists and can't afford to pay private fees
Thousands of NHS dentists quit during Covid and industry polls suggest even more are considering going fully private in the near future.
Dentists argue it is no longer financially viable to offer NHS procedures because of a lack of Government investment.
As a result dental deserts are now emerging in parts of the UK, with a recent analysis finding 9 out of 10 NHS dentists are refusing to take on new patients.
The Lib Dem poll of 2,234 people, conducted last month, found those in London and the South West were the most likely to report failing to get an NHS appointment in 12 months at 28 per cent.
Results for Scotland and Wales revealed 25 and 22 per cent of people, respectively, failed to see an NHS dentist over the past year.
Of the 533 Britons that didn't, 21 per cent resorted to DIY dentistry — either taking matters into their own hands or asking a friend or family member to do it for them.
Another 27 per cent paid for private dental treatment, and 26 per cent claimed they delayed seeing a dentists whist suffering with pain.
Lib Dem Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said Britons being forced to pull out their own teeth was a 'national scandal' created by Government mismanagement.
'This heartbreaking rise in DIY dentistry is further evidence that this Government simply doesn’t care about our vital local health services,' she said.
'It is a national scandal that people are forced to pull their own teeth out because our public health services have been starved of funding.
'NHS services are crumbling after years of failure and mismanagement by Conservative Ministers.'
The Lib Dems are calling for the Government to announce an NHS winter rescue package this week now that Parliament is returning following The Queen's funeral.
This should include plans to recruit more NHS staff, including dentists, they said.
Responding to the poll, the BDA said DIY dentistry had gone from being a local issue in spots were access to NHS dentists was dire pre-Covid to a national problem.
BDA chair Eddie Crouch said millions of Britons were being forced to take their oral health into their own hands by Government inaction.
'DIY dentistry has no place in a wealthy, 21st century nation, but today millions have no options, and some are taking matters into their own hands,' he said.
'These access problems are not inevitable. This horror show is the direct result of choices made in Westminster.'
In January, the Government pledged an extra £50million to fund 350,000 more dental appointments, yet this has so far had little effect on boosting access.
Mr Crouch said ministers needed to deliver more reform and funding, estimating it would cost £880million a year alone to restore services to 2010 levels.
