Over the past few years, people across the country have struggled to receive the important dental treatment they require, unable to get appointments at NHS dentists forcing them to look for private treatments. However, more recently patients in the local area have equally struggled in acquiring appointments privately.

We’ve spoken to a number of local residents who have experienced troubles when looking for dental treatment.

Helen, who lives in Launceston, told the Post that she had been searching for a dentist to look at her son’s teeth as part of a routine check-up.

She said: “I’ve been waiting for an NHS dentist to see my son’s teeth. We registered with the local Launceston dentist on Castle Street.

“We went on their waiting list, that was nearly five years ago. We haven’t heard from them since.” Helen went on to explain that after their long search for a dentist, they managed to find one in Liskeard.

“He did get to see a dentist in Liskeard which meant I had to take time off work to get him there,” she explained.

For some however, travel is the least of their worries when it comes to getting an appointment.

Melanie Haworth moved from Hampshire to Milton Damerel back in August and following her move, she had a nightmare experience when she got an earache. After going to a doctor, she was told that her ear was fine and to seek treatment from a dentist.

But having moved so recently, she was yet to have registered at a dentist.

Speaking to the Post she said: “Because I hadn’t yet registered anywhere, I had to go through this service called Devon Docs to try and get an appointment. I sat on hold for two hours but eventually got an emergency appointment at a dentist in Holsworthy.”

Unfortunately, due to the nature of Devon Docs appointments, Melanie’s problems were not solved.

“I went to my appointment and had an x-ray. I was told that my tooth had cracked but as Deven Docs appointments were only 20 minutes, there was no time do anything about it and if I wanted something done about it I’d need to call Devon Docs and get another appointment,” she explained.

After discussing with the dentist, it was agreed that they would give Melanie a filling in the same session.

“The filling got infected, I couldn’t open my mouth, I was on various antibiotics and painkillers. I was in so much pain I nearly went to A&E but I called Devon Docs at eight in the morning and got an emergency appointment in Barnstaple.

“My tooth was x-rayed again and I was told it needed to come out, but again they didn’t have time as it’s a 20-minute appointment.”

Melanie was left with no choice but to look for private treatment: “I registered at a private dentist and had to beg for an appointment as they were full, but luckily they found a cancellation.”

Despite eventually receiving treatment, Melanie was left with a hefty bill.

Unfortunately, stories such as these are not uncommon.

In a survey conducted by NHS England earlier this year, it was found that of the 720,000 respondents, only 73% were successful in getting an appointment.

This does not specify the purpose of the appointment and for what period the respondent had been waiting previous to receiving an appointment. Despite this however, these numbers are not only far lower than pre-pandemic levels, they also remain lower than results in 2021.

When asked about the situation surrounding the lack of dental appointment availability in the local area, a spokesperson for MP for North Cornwall, Scott Mann, said: “We understand that NHS dentistry in our area is quite difficult to find, and this has historically been the case regardless of who is in Government.

“Over the past few years, Scott has held meetings with dentists in North Cornwall and the wider South West region, the NHS and of course, the patients themselves. We have identified some of the key factors that contribute to the issue, including recruitment and retention of staff within local dentistry. It can be difficult to bring the staff we need in Cornwall due to the housing pressures we also face, and Scott has put forward suggested courses of action such as key-worker housing within new developments to be set aside for NHS staff.

“The impact of the pandemic has also been detrimental to dentistry across the UK. Earlier this year the government delivered £50-million in additional funding to provide up to 350,000 extra appointments, with local NHS teams using the funds to secure increased care capacity.

“Dentists have told us that the NHS Dental contract, which was brought in under the last government in 2006 also requires reform. Scott has held direct meetings with the Secretary of State and the Minister responsible for dentistry on several occasions since 2019 to feed this back to Westminister and he is very pleased that initial reforms to the contract have been delivered this year.”

NHS England have also commented regarding experiences of dental services in the South West.

A spokesperson for the organisation said: “Access to NHS dental services across the region has historically been challenging, with demand exceeding the capacity available, workforce challenges and the capacity of practices to take on new patients.

“Nationally, the NHS recently announced the first dental contract reform for dentistry services since 2006 which will support practices to improve access, including by giving high-performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients. Discussions around further changes that will benefit both patients and staff are ongoing.

Urgent dental care is available via NHS 111 for those without a regular dentist in the South West. If anyone in the South West has a dental emergency, there are arrangements in place to ensure that anyone who does not have a dentist and has an urgent dental need will be able to access an urgent dental appointment.

“In addition, extra dental capacity is being secured across the region as part of the South West Dental Reform programme. This will include additional urgent care appointments and appointments for unscheduled dental care for those who do not have a regular dentist.”