So we literally cannot find an NHS dentist, anywhere

[nodentist]

What do we do? Nowhere taking on adults for NHS since we’ve moved. On the website tool it says a few are, but when you call them it transpires they are taking on… for the 5 year long waiting list. People on local Facebook groups are mentioning that some practices are refusing to take on children on the NHS unless their parents are paying privately!

Does anyone know how to get around it? I’ve not seen a dentist in four years since just before COVID, and I know I probably need a filling and who knows what else treatment. I feel embarrassed about my teeth even though they don’t look bad.

I signed up to the Bupa dental plan. £27 a month and includes 2 check ups and 2 hygienist appointments a year.

I needed a filling so paid about 80 quid for that and 30 quid for a follow up appointment relating to some gum issues but that's been it really so not too extortionate

NHS does not mean free so I'd bite the bullet and go private - if you are able to, of course

I have just been told I need a filling replaced which I only had done at the surgery three years ago (my previous dentist has left so can't claim for a reduction as it is too soon for it to have failed). Apparently I also have a root canal that is failing and has an infection underneath and needs repairing which will cost £1,600 and if the repair fails which there is a 50% chance it will I will need a £2,000 implant! I just can't afford to spend £3,600 on one tooth and a further £800 to replace fillings.

At the moment I am feeling no pain and although I know an infection could be dangerous it still doesn't help me afford it! I am going to get a second opinion though and see if any other dentist will do it cheaper.

What on earth do they do? I'm a dentist and the only methods of anaesthesia I've been trained in are intra-oral. I have no idea how you would numb a patient's mouth / teeth without using an injection..!

Oh and my mum had a condition where she never had any adult teeth. The whole set was missing. She still has some milk teeth but they are in a terrible state.

It is a genetic condition and both my brother and sister have it but a lesser extent. My sister is missing four teeth and my brother six. They also have terrible enamel. Me, the middle child, seem to have avoided it thank goodness. If you have this condition apparently you are entitled to free dental treatment because you will need above and beyond what is normal.

We've not had a dentist since covid now. We relocated during the first lockdown, couldn't find a dentist in new area so stayed with our dentist in old area (hour+ drive but better than none and we went that way often so not an issue) but apparently they removed us from their books because we didn't see them for two years. The majority of that being during covid when they were refusing to see people unless it was an emergency.

Moved back to area of first dentist and cannot find any. Apparently the closest one is on the outskirts of London according to the locals we've spoken to having the same issues. We're 50+ miles away from that. I've spent hours calling all within 10 miles of here so far. Need to start making lists for further away bigger towns and work on those. I haven't even managed to get onto a waiting list either, all closed 😑

It annoys me when people say most problems are preventable. I don't agree, some people just have issues with their teeth - I have had issues since childhood. I do everything I can, brush x3 per day, mouthwash and interdental brushes and my teeth are still crap. I think genetics must play a part

Some medications can cause havoc on your teeth. As can pregnancy, and some cancer treatments. Acid reflux (and sadly, people with bulimia often have bad teeth due to purging). Teeth grinding can cause issues, and it is often when you are asleep so not something you can just avoid doing.
Poor mental health and ND can lead to neglect... and I don't think it is fair to say to people in those cases that it is all their fault.
And then you just get things happen like injuries, or a mass in your jaw (happened to a friend. It would not have been spotted if she had not had a dentist).

A colleague of mine has developed gum disease as a side effect of Covid. Her NHS dentist kicked her off the list during covid closures (same as mine did) she cannot find another one. She's looking at finding £1000's in private treatment.

I grind my teeth and I think this is what is causing most of the issues.. had a bite guard but couldn't get on with it. I try and keep my stress levels as low as possible. I've had quite severe depression where I perhaps wasn't brushing as methodically as I would normally.

If a plan existed which covered everything I would pay it - but there isn't one. Most dentists locally only accept denplan essentials which covers check ups and hygienists visits, may as well pay that as I go

It annoys me when people say most problems are preventable. I don't agree, some people just have issues with their teeth - I have had issues since childhood. I do everything I can, brush x3 per day, mouthwash and interdental brushes and my teeth are still crap. I think genetics must play a part

unfortunately it doesn’t matter whether you’re annoyed or not. It’s true/fact/science/physics. 99% of problems are preventable in 99% of people. No matter how annoyed they are about it. Of course genetics play a part. Just like they do in populations more at risk of type 2 diabetes. Those populations have to work harder to avoid disease. Just like you do.

Decay needs the following:

teeth
bacteria
fermentable carbohydrate

that’s just the facts of the matter. Remove any one of them and decay won’t happen.

Well said @Silverdogblue!

No idea how these private dentists are numbing people either. You don’t get magic powers when you give up your contract.
Wand maybe?

I think as mentioned it’s more about tinkering around the edges for ICBs - there’s a report here for West Yorks area which gives an idea of what they’re looking at.

https://www.wypartnership.co.uk/application/files/7016/8547/4575/Item_07._Dentistry_and_Oral_Health_in_West_Yorkshire.pdf

This isn’t my local ICB but where I work the ICB have told us (LA) they are “looking at what they can do with the contract” - whatever that means in practice!

I grind my teeth and I think this is what is causing most of the issues.. had a bite guard but couldn't get on with it. I try and keep my stress levels as low as possible. I've had quite severe depression where I perhaps wasn't brushing as methodically as I would normally.

I also grind my teeth and it's caused real problems. I've also had an enamel problem since childhood and the dentists have never been keen to replace with veneers.

The only thing I've heard of (as a hygienist) and used a few times a long time ago was oraquix. But that obviously wouldn't be suitable for invasive dentistry like RCT or XLA etc. To be honest it barely worked for perio treatment which is why I don't think it's really become popular. Even applying topical gel I think is mainly a placebo effect for most patients who request it for scaling.

I know a lot of people who have lost teeth.. teeth are fine.. it is gum disease that has caused tooth loss.
You need regular appointments to keep on top of it. How is that possible when you don't even have a dentist?

In my three decades of general practice, including dedicated OOH emergency care on the NHS, I saw fewer than 20 patients who had gum disease which wasn’t caused by poor oral hygiene or smoking. Some claimed they caught gum disease on holiday, many would say they had weak gums or that pregnancy made their teeth loose. The disease process simply does not work that way. 99% preventable in 99% of people.

But what is to be gained by saying their gum disease is their fault?
I had a period of poor hygiene caused by neglect due to mental health issues.
If you work in dentistry, then I have some questions. I have a tooth that is moving overnight. I don't know if it is perio or a tumour pushing it about. I can't get a dentist to tell me otherwise.

Yes it was

Are you with a union at all? Mine pays up to £500 a year for dental treatment, I pay them £10ish a month for it.

My gum disease was definitely not caused by poor dental hygiene. I've been told I have a genetic tendency so I do all I can to keep on top of it, which includes daily flossing and three times a year to the hygienist.

You illustrate the point perfectly. If 99% of people
prevented 99% of the preventable problems, there would be plenty of resources available to treat the 1%ers. But they don’t. So here we are.

This simply isn't true. Dentistry has been unfunded on a long term basis, to the extent that the NHS resources available are a long way from being sufficient to provide the population with eve basic care.

Even if everyone was diligent about flossing, annual check ups etc. use resources.

@Mukey @HalfasleepChrisintheMorningThey use The Wand or alternatives to it.

@catlovingdoctor it baffles me (I know it isn't your fault!) that as a dentist you've not heard of the wand and its alternatives (different brands same concept).How did I (a sociologist and tutor, nothing to do with medicine) know about it and you didn't? It's been around since the 90s.

I know injections don't bother some people, but I find them utterly excruciating. And I am someone who has been through a LOT of physical pain and am not particularly pain sensitive. Nor am I scared of needles. But the pain those injections cause me is beyond belief. I've also fainted due to them, passed out in the dentist's chair and been sick all over myself. Nope-needles do not go in my mouth ever again. And I like not dribbling afterwards as the anaesthetic has numbed one tooth rather than half my mouth.

The topical gel for me is definitely not a placebo. I had a pocket behind my front tooth that the hygienist had to clean out periodically and with the gel it was a bit uncomfortable-without it my eyes were watering!

@Noodge the wand is still an injection…

I am not sure how else I could have worded it? It may be technically but it doesn't feel like one, doesn't hurt and doesn't cause me the problems the traditional methods do.