A man has spoken about the "excruciating" pain he says he suffered while extracting five of his own teeth over the course of a two-year period.
Ferdi, 51, says there were no available NHS dentists within a 25-mile radius of his home city of Wakefield, and, unable to bear the pain any longer, he took action into his own hands.
Photographer Ferdi, who has recently completed his PhD in political philosophy, has since tried to seek private dental treatment to fix his mouth, but was shocked to receive a quote of £16,000, far more than he was able to afford.
His first venture into DIY dentistry came at the beginning of the pandemic when he found he was unable to even see an emergency dentist.
Feeling as though he was "teetering on the edge of like insanity due to sleep deprivation", Ferdi made the painful decision to extract the tooth himself, using a pair of ordinary household pliers.
Speaking to the Mirror, Ferdi said: "I grabbed hold of it and started to pull. Oh my God, the pain. The pain was just excruciating. It just went all across the side of my face is absolute agony. I thought, 'just keep pulling. Keep pulling'.
"So I kept pulling and it was just agony. But then I could hear the bones cracking, and then it just came out.
"The relief from just having been in absolute agony, pulling it out, the relief was just phenomenal. And there's blood everywhere. It was a mess. And I was like, 'well, I hope I never have to do that again'."
Unfortunately, Ferdi ended up performing a further four tooth extractions on himself. The first ones were at the back, but the more recent ones were at the front, leaving him with a considerable gap that he compares to that of 'a ten-year-old'.
Unable to afford treatment for dentures, Ferdi, who is currently receiving benefits, now has to live with large gaps in his teeth. He says he's no longer in pain, but the loss has made everyday activities such as eating very difficult.
Ferdi continued: "My teeth are staggered now. There's not one tooth on top on top of another tooth, they're kind of staggered. So I can't chew on anything.
"I'm having to chew my food using my teeth, which obviously is not a good idea. I mean, your two front teeth are not designed for chewing, but that's what I'm having do, and it's just a nightmare."
Fortunately, Ferdi says he isn't currently in any pain, while his remaining teeth feel 'pretty solid'. However, he says his mouth is now a 'complete mess', and 'not fit for purpose'.
He's still looking for a dentist to help him, but can't find one within a 30-mile radius. He has previously tried to find a private dentist, but realised this just wouldn't be doable after he was quoted £16,000.
West Yorkshire is known to have been an access hotspot for some time, however, the pressures of the pandemic have seen the situation worsen, while other affecting many areas of the country.
Recent BBC research has found that 9 out of 10 practices are unable to take on new adult NHS patients, with Wakefield being among the worst access points anywhere in England, with 97% of practices not taking on any new adult patients.
The British Dental Association (BDA) says it would take an extra £880 million a year simply to restore resources to 2010 levels, and believes government objectives to improve both access and retention cannot feasibly be achieved within the financial constraints set by the current Treasury.
With this in mind, the BDA is now calling upon Prime Minister Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Liz Truss, and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to take action now as a matter of urgency.
British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: "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.
“These access problems are not inevitable. This horror show is the direct result of choices made in Westminster. We’ve heard promises of change, but any progress requires action on a decade of underfunding and failed contracts. Truss, Coffey, and Kwarteng will determine whether we consign these scenes back to the Victorian era.”
Furthermore, Ferdi's story does not appear to be a one-off incident. According to a recent poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, one in five (21%) people who failed to get an NHS dentist appointment over the course of the past year have instead turned to DIY dentistry.
An NHS spokesperson told the Mirror: "Infection prevention and control measures introduced during the pandemic to protect staff and patients have now been lifted so dental teams can operate at full capacity for the first time in two years.
"Anyone with concerns about their dental health should contact their local dentist as they usually would or seek advice from NHS 111.”
The Mirror has contacted the Department of Health & Social Care for comment.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
