EXCLUSIVE: Pensioner Describes Yanking Two of Her Own Teeth Out as She Couldn’t Access an NHS Dentist .Cau

A pensioner has told how she pulled two of her own teeth out because she couldn’t get an NHS dentist.

Marina Chaplin, 68, revealed her horror story as it emerged 97% of people who try to get in with an NHS dentist are now unable to do so. The retired college admin assistant from Bristol finally took out a loan to go private after trying and failing to get in with NHS dentists for four years.

Marina told the Mirror: “I tried as far away as Weston-super-Mare and Swindon but I couldn’t get in with an NHS dentist anywhere. It’s disgusting. You used to be able to get an NHS dentist no problem now you can only get dental work done if you’re rich or you do what I have done and go into debt. I’ve worked all my life and now when I need the NHS it’s not there for me.”

Marina told her story as the Warrington Guardian reported 100 people queued from 2.30am to get a place at an NHS dentist in the town earlier this week. Earlier this year police were called to a dental surgery in Bristol to manage crowds which queued for three days to get one of a limited number of NHS places becoming available

The ONS survey ‘Experiences of NHS healthcare services in England’ looked at the percentage of the population without an NHS dentist, who attempted to get an appointment with one in the last month. It showed 96.9% of those who do not have a dentist and who tried to access NHS dental care were unsuccessful which the British Dental Association branded as evidence “that for new patients NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist”.

Mother-of-six Marina had a long-standing place at an NHS dental practice in Bristol, which was bought out by a dental chain during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because she and her 85-year-old husband were unable to attend their regular check-ups due to pandemic restrictions they were removed from the NHS patient register. Marina said: “It’s ridiculous. It wasn’t our fault we couldn’t go. I had two teeth which were coming loose and I was in pain so I kept wiggling them until I was able to pull them out.”

Marina suffers from osteoporosis and was told by her consultant she needed medication for this. However it came with the risk of a side effect that it could affect her gums so her GP would not prescribe it until she had seen a dentist. She has had to take out a loan for £2,500 to have three teeth removed and a partial denture fitted before she can get her medication.

However she has still faced a long wait for this to be carried out with the procedure now expected next month. Marina said: “My new dentist only works two days a week. Previously I used to get better care when I was with an NHS dentist. It’s crazy but I don’t blame the NHS. I blame the politicians.”

The ONS data confirmed just 52% of the population are registered with an NHS dentist and its data suggests those not in with one will struggle to be accepted anywhere.

The overall NHS dentistry budget for England has remained at around £3 billion for a decade but has seen a £1 billion real terms cut over this period due to inflation. It has become increasingly made up of the contribution from patient charges which have gone up by 45% in the last decade.

The Mirror has launched the Dentists for All campaign, demanding a return to universal access. Our online petition on the 38 Degrees platform, launched in partnership with the BDA, has now hit 224,000 signatures.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This government is committed to rebuilding NHS dentistry, but it will take time. We will start with an extra 700,000 urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most, and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients. Prevention is better than cure, so we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds, to prevent so many children ending up in hospital to have their teeth pulled out.”