Decade wait for a dentist forcing locals to fly to Turkey for dental treatment

16 January 2024 , 22:55

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Some people are struggling to get dental appointments (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Frustrated dental patients trying to get an NHS appointment claim they are facing a massive ten year waiting list.

One town with a population of 35,000 has 8,500 people unable to get appointments. Angry locals from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, have even resorted to flying to Turkey, using superglue and buying £3.99 DIY kits online.

And one lady wrote on a Bridlington Health Forum that her son witnessed a dentist firm saying the wait could be “eight to ten years”.

Wayne Campbell, 42, and wife Amy, 35, moved back to Bridlington six months ago and have failed to find an NHS dentist nearby. Now they face a three-hour drive to see their old NHS dentist for a check-up.

Wayne said: “We have even considered moving back down south because of the lack of NHS dentists and of provision for my two-year-old son who has cerebral palsy. We need to have some incentives to entice people to open up surgeries and train young people to be dentists.”

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The MyDentist practice, which is the only one providing NHS dentistry in Bridlington, said it was “actively recruiting new NHS clinicians to join the team” but it was at full capacity.

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said it had “every sympathy with patients who are in this position”.

It added: “We have not yet been able to attract new dentists to Bridlington, despite our best efforts. We are continuing to work with existing providers to increase access.”

Lucy Thornton