A grandma has told how she ended up "twisting" her own tooth out at home as she was going through "sheer hell" from the pain during a five month wait for a dentist.
Jacqueline Shepherd, 56, said that she started having severe toothache last February but could not get an appointment to see an NHS dentist, reported NottinghamshireLive.
And the "horrendous" pain led her to remove one of her own teeth.
"I have a high pain threshold but it was too painful," said Ms Shepherd, from Nottingham.
"I kept twisting it - it took me two days to finally get it out."
Ms Shepherd, who lives alone and uses a wheelchair, said the pain began due to medication that caused a vitamin D deficiency and loosened her teeth.
The mum-of-two had been left without a dentist after the pandemic and was unable to afford private treatment.
She claims she spent hours every week trying to get an appointment and when she called 111 on three occasions she was given more numbers for unavailable dentists.
“It was a nightmare. I even went to the walk-in centre and was told there was nothing they could do - I burst into tears," she said.
Ms Shepherd said it was only an act of goodwill by a dental manager that she got an appointment.
“If it wasn’t for one nice person I’d still be waiting now. It’s absolutely horrendous," she continued.
“I was crying and in so much pain. I had six teeth taken out once I finally got an appointment in July. It’s absolutely disgusting. It was the worst experience of my life, toothache is one of the worst things you can have. I couldn’t eat anything because the pain was on both sides of my mouth.
“The pain was that bad that even talking was causing a problem. I feel sorry for anyone who might be in the same position. It was five months of sheer hell."
A spokesperson for NHS Midlands, reported NottinghamshireLive, said: “ We are really sorry to hear of this very unfortunate case and are taking initiatives to increase the number of dental care sessions for people across the Midlands.
"The latest data show dental services are recovering post pandemic, with over 26 million patient treatments delivered in England last year – up 120% from the year before, along with 1.7 million more children getting seen by an NHS dentist.
"To further support the ongoing restoration of NHS dentistry, we recently announced the first significant changes to dentistry since 2006, helping practices to improve access for the patients that need dental care the most.”
