A man who doesn't have an NHS dentist has repaired his own tooth with a kit he bought online for £3.99. Antony Watson ordered the plastic and superglue kit from Amazon.
Mr Watson, who said he can't afford private dentistry treatment, used it to fix a damaged crown, reports HullLive. Originally reported by the BBC, Mr Watson's dental repair work appears to be cutting-edge compared to that of another man, Alex Gray. The retired roofer claims to have removed six of his own teeth with pliers after failing to find an NHS dentist.
Speaking about his problem, Mr Watson said that he first broke the tooth more than 20 years ago. He had it crowned, but it broke again while he was eating.
Two dental practices have recently closed where he lives, leaving just one. It was not taking on any new patients, leaving those who cannot afford to go private with a problem.
Speaking about the home dentistry kits he found online, Mr Watson said: "I picked the best one for me, which was probably one of the cheapest but also one of the easiest ones to do, and I thought 'yup, next day delivery, I'll have that."
The kit contained a 20g bag of plastic beads that are used to fit the shape of your damaged teeth.
Mr Watson added: "You boil a kettle, you put the beads into the water. The beads then go together and go really soft and clear. You then shape it around your tooth and let it cool down. With the size of my tooth, it took five beads."
Mr Watson said he used super glue to secure it in place. Mr Watson, from Bridlington, said he would happily give the repair kit another go in the future, despite accidentally gluing a finger.
Despite accidentally gluing a finger, Mr Watson - who said he had fallen off the books of an NHS dentist several years ago after missing "a couple of appointments" - insisted he would not hesitate to repeat the process.
In Lincolnshire, Alex Gray revealed he has resorted to pulling out six of his own teeth, using pliers and painkillers. "Teeth don't last forever," said Mr Gray. "I can't be the only one who has to take out their own teeth but what else can I do?"
The retired industrial roofer explained that when a tooth "starts to fall out" he takes painkillers and "waits until it goes numb", before using pliers to extract it. He told the BBC he had been unable to find an NHS dentist after moving to Lincolnshire six years ago. "I paid my National Insurance all my working life and I can't see a dentist?" he asked.
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We are determined to make sure everybody seeking NHS dental care can receive it when they need it, and we have recently implemented dental reforms to deliver this, with the GP Patient Survey showing over 75% of patients who tried to get a dental appointment in the last two years were successful.
"The number of dentists practising in the NHS increased by over 500 last year and we are continuing work to improve access to dental care - backed by more than £3bn annually."
