To want to bang my head off a wall re NHS Dentist situation

[52andblue]

I was registered with an NHS Dentist but I moved house. Meant to be for 4 months, but ended up being 4 years. Whilst away I paid for my kids to have private check ups but let mine slide due to finances. Then I moved back. I still qualify for NHS dentistry but no longer on list.

I cracked a chunk of tooth off on a piece of grit in food c. 3m ago.
Big hole developed but I can't get dentist appt. anywhere. It gets worse. I discover an emergency NHS helpline. They see me in 3 days (very grateful!!!). Turns out tooth totally rotten, infection starting to develop below gum line. They attempt to pull it but crown cracks off.
I am left with 3 large divergent roots & told will need dental surgeon to remove - they will refer to dental dept in local small hosp. They give me penicillin, tell me to take pain meds and 'shouldn't be long'.
I call Hosp today to enquire roughly what waiting list might be (appt was fast last time & I've 2 x SN kids I'd need to arrange cover for).
Hosp says: '12-18 months'.
Oh, Shit!
The pain is worse than before tooth partly pulled out.
I've got 3 roots partly sticking down into my mouth still.
I want to bang my head off a wall. I can't even bend down to unload dishwasher without it pounding, even on 30/500 co codamol.

I know I should have gone more regularly so IABU.
I know that people are waiting for major operations & cancer tx.
But surely I won't be left for 12-18m with live roots twanging away?

(If you think IABU please be gentle, I've never posted here before)

Sympathies. Dental pain is grim.

The issue here is the NHS funding model for dental treatment which is grossly inadequate. As other posters have said it the funding doesn't cover the costs of complex work so it is hard to recruit / retain dentists to provide care.

I am a committed NHS clinician and choose not to work in the private sector (despite the fact that I'm being repeatedly asked by one of my NHS surgical colleagues to cover his private work). However, I have a private dentist.

I work closely with dentists/ oral surgeons and their universal advice when I needed a new dentist (the old one retired. How dare she!!!) was to go private as the current NHS funding model doesn't really cover preventative/ tooth saving dentistry very well.

Oral surgery was stopped for vast amounts of the last 18months - my colleagues variously took part in turning teams for ICU, did HCA shifts on ICU or manned the vaccination programme. There is indeed a huge backlog of work and dealing with it is further hampered by keeping services covid safe in a crowded hospital environment so they can only offer fewer appointments than pre-covid.

I'm glad the dental service were helpful on the phone - hopefully someone will be able to help you with your pain.

A note of caution - dental pain is one of the major drivers of accidental paracetamol overdose - do pay attention to how much you are taking and remember that many OTC painkillers will contain it alongside other ingredients.

Same happened to me (apart from NHS dentist broke the tooth trying to extract it after failed root canal & I had dry socket for the worst 10 days of my life).
Begged the NHS referred surgeon to do it privately - cost £250 and he stitched it so I didn't get another dry socket. Would have paid £2000 tbh, worst pain of my life.

I agree @HelenRose1111 I had a dry socket a few years ago, oh my god the pain. Luckily I managed to get onto an emergency clinic at hospital within a week and had it packed. It's scarred me for life I'd never want to go through it again and I've had 2 horrendous caesareans, give me those over a dry socket anyday!

UPDATE:

After being in tears with pain / waking at night etc even on Co codamol / Tramadol and Neurofen I called the NHS emergency dental line back. They sent me back to the same dental practice. I saw the Head dentist. He was a jolly type: 'what have we here then? not brushing enough eh?' Took a good look and said: 'who did THAT?!' I said, 'your colleague, last week'. I made sure to say that I was sure she'd tried her best etc as I didn't want him to just scoot me out the door but I said I couldn't cope with the pain & needed help.

He tried to drill out the roots but 2 of the 3 are now calcified. He did some work on the 3rd but the drill bit snapped off, so he then had to extract that. He has put a thin dressing on it as there is not much to dress 'and wished me luck. He has re referred me to the Hospital as Urgent now as he thinks there is an abscess forming so gave me a 2nd 5 day dose of antibiotics. He did say that 'in my shoes he'd go private' and recommended someone in the small town but I asked him for a guide price and he said £-3-500 for the work and £3-500 for the sedation, which you will need'. So, that's that then. I hope the dressing stays on till the NHS Hospital appointment comes through.

I am so, so sorry. It is shambolic. Thinking of you.

Is anyone actually complaining to their MPs about this? If politicians know they will lose votes and power over this they will do something about it.

Update:

the 'patch' the senior dentist put over the live roots (the week after the junior dentist snapped the tooth off) is still in place & 'working'.

Thank puff, as I've been waiting all this time for the call from the local hospital Oral Surgery dept. It came on Monday. 4mins 10secs speaking to very nice chap who informed me he would 'now put me on the waiting list'. When I gibbered a bit & said that I was still eating on one side only and not brushing teeth either side of patch hole as advised he said: 'well, we're backed up & it will be quite a few months so if the patch comes off just pop back to the dentist for another one'. I guess I was correct to have the initial work done in August rather than wait for the Oral surgeon as I'd still be waiting now.

Wish I'd got private dentist before all this started. But then, folk who have to ££ rely on the NHS to start with tend not to be able to just go private if they need to unfortunately, esp for major work. Ah well.
(shuffles off feeling sorry for self but very grateful for 'patch' at least).