A Leeds man claims he has been pulling his own teeth out for the last 15 years as he’s been unable to book an NHS dentist appointment.
Ex-butcher David Sergeant, 50, says he prepares by loosening the offending tooth gradually over time and when the day of reckoning comes, he downs a couple of beers and “fills himself up” on Ibuprofen to numb the pain and yanks each tooth out. The following day there’s “a bit of blood” and he’s admitted that he ought to be” taken care of”.
The Seacroft man, originally from Harehills, now has an almost toothless grin, with multiple empty cavities showing how many times he’s had to resort to such drastic action. The NHS insists reforms have come in which will allow practices to take on more patients. It's advised against self treatment, asking people in need of help to call the NHS 111 number or a local dentistry practice.
Read more: Leeds grandad hits out at 'snotty' Wetherby Racecourse as he's 'refused entry'
David said: “I’ve been pulling my own teeth out. I can’t get an NHS dentist, for ten or 15 years. I’ve tried referrals from the doctors and there’s nowhere that will take me.
“I wait until the tooth is loose and then loosen it and loosen it and loosen it and pull it out myself. I have used plyers in the past, like big ones, but most of the time I just use my fingers.
“I have a couple of beers and fill myself up with ibuprofen and out it comes. Next morning there’s a bit of blood.
“It doesn’t feel very good. At the end of the day, I’m having to pull my own teeth out when I should have somebody looking after me.”
David struggles with his mental health, for which he receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and has been hit hard by the ongoing cost of living crisis. “I’ve just raided my copper jar just to get a pint of milk,” he admits. He sometimes struggles to provide for his pet dog Ash, a 12-year-old Japanese Akita, but fortunately has friends who have helped him to buy dog food.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Anyone with concerns about their dental health should contact a local dentist practice as they usually would or seek advice from NHS 111. Recently announced reforms to dentistry services are supporting practices to improve access including by giving high performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients – with discussions around further changes that benefit patients and staff ongoing.
“Infection prevention and control measures to protect staff and patients were introduced during the pandemic, limiting the number of procedures that NHS dentists could carry out, however these have now been lifted so dental teams are operating at full capacity for the first time in two years.”
Read next:
- Hooligan who threw missile at Manchester United's Elanga during heated Leeds game banned for life
- Leeds mum sick of lack of playgroups for kids opens up her own
- Leeds City Council facing £20m shortfall as childcare, fuel and leisure centre issues bite
- Rob Burrow's wife in tears as he tells her to find someone else after he dies
- Hyde Park Picture House hiring staff for early 2023 reopening after major refurbishment
