The lack of NHS dentists in Halton is so dire people have resorted to pulling out their own teeth - leaving themselves in agony.
Others have resorted to buying their own fillings on Amazon, or been forced to undertake 100-mile round trips to get treatment. One Halton resident said they were left with broken teeth after a car crash but were still unable to access dental care.
These are just one of the grim findings from a report on the state of NHS dentistry in Halton due to be presented to Halton's Health and Wellbeing Board this week. Compiled by advocacy group Healthwatch Halton, the report found just over a third of Halton adults (37.5%) had seen an NHS dentist in the past two years, which was lower than elsewhere in the country and lower than every other area in Cheshire and Merseyside with the exception of Liverpool.
