Man with toothache and unable to access dentist left overdosing on pain meds
A man left in agony from a severe toothache says he overdoses on painkillers as he cannot access a dentist.
Simon Thomas, 46, first noticed an ache in a molar two years ago but did not think much of it. Over time it continued to worsen but, as he was in the middle of moving from Cardiff to Abertillery , Wales, was unable to see anyone and was put on a waiting list by the NHS. Now, 11 months later, he faces a daily agony reaching “1000 out of ten” and dreams about knocking himself out to escape the pain.
Mr Thomas told WalesOnline : “There have been times where the pain has been so bad I wanted to smack my head against a brick wall to knock myself out. It is so severe I find myself crying and running around the house.
"In my life I have experienced my shin bone being split in half and I have had a car engine land on my hand, which split my finger in half - but they do not compare to the level of pain in my mouth. I have honestly never felt pain like it in my life. It's pure pain in my face which goes down my neck. It's indescribable.
“I have been to three dental emergency appointments so far. The first one said it is infected and gave me antibiotics, but those didn't work. I went to [a second] practice and showed them my x-ray. The dentist said there is no way she would remove that tooth as she could not guarantee she could remove the entire root, which could leave me in more pain.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
The pain started two years ago and has continued to worsen (Richard Swingler/Media Wales)"She cleaned it up as best she could and put a cap on it. I keep ringing the emergency helpline and they keep telling me no dentist will deal with a root canal and three dentists have told me they are unwilling to pull the tooth out."
He added he spoke with someone at St Woolos Hospital in Newport, who said he would likely need to be referred to a maxillofacial department where his entire tooth could be safely extracted. However, as Simon is not yet registered at a dental practice, he said nobody will refer him there.
Simon said throughout this time, the pain has worsened. Although he knows it is harmful, he said he has felt no choice but to exceed the daily dose of over the counter painkillers.
He said: "I started taking two Ibuprofen, then I was taking four and then there were points where I actually overdosed. Felt like I was going to pass out or my system was shutting down. This happened on several occasions as no one wanted to help."
A spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear of this experience. We recognise that some people can’t currently access a local NHS dentist for routine care, but urgent dentistry is available to everyone. Anyone in pain or with facial swelling can access urgent dental care via 111.
"Despite pressures on our budgets, we continue to increase funding for dentistry. Since April 2022, over 300,000 people who couldn’t get an appointment before, have now received NHS dental treatment. "We are working with the dental profession to design a new dental contract, also working to recruit and retain more dentists in Wales.
A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We are sorry to hear about the issues Mr Thomas has experienced in finding a dentist in the Abertillery area. We would urge Mr Thomas to contact us directly so that we can raise any concerns he has directly with Abertillery Dental Practice and the Dental Helpline service.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
