Bury St Edmunds Dentaid visit: Dozens, including man who chiselled his own teeth to stop pain, helped by charity
Bury St Edmunds residents suffering from tooth pain, including one who chiselled down his own teeth in an effort to stop the pain, queued for hours this week to visit a pop-up dental charity clinic.
Dentaid, which typically provides free dental care for homeless and vulnerable people and was set up to treat patients in developing countries, came to the New Bury Community Centre in the town on Tuesday and today.
Offering free dental care to residents with tooth problems who cannot access an NHS dentist, and funded by West Suffolk councillors, Cliff Waterman, Max Clarke and Diane Hind, there were more than 30 patients seen on the first day and over 40 expected on the second.
Jack, a 33-year-old father who lives in the town, said he had been struggling with severe pain, after five of his teeth cracked and chipped, for around 16 months.
He said, despite him and his partner calling more than 50 dentists, he could not find any that were taking on NHS patients and going private would mean paying £400 per tooth extraction.
"My mouth was bleeding so badly, but when I called NHS 111 they said I couldn't get an emergency dentist for three weeks," he said.
"I had no choice but to take a chisel to my teeth and file them down. It was so, so painful."
Jack said the pain caused him serious stress and made daily life, including eating, drinking, difficult and he lost almost two stone as a result.
He voiced worries for his children and whether they'll be able to access care and check-ups in the future.
He said of Dentaid: "They are massively important, it's unreal. They are saving people so much stress and anxiety and anger."
Cllr Diane Hind thanked the community centre for allowing them to use the space as a waiting room.
She said: "People are coming in in absolute agony and they need help - it shouldn't be necessary and NHS dental provisions should be better."
Cllr Hind and Cllr Cliff Waterman said the two-day visit cost over £4,000, and added that they are determined to remain proactive on the issue of dentistry.
"Labour councillors are doing this to put a sticking plaster over holes in provisions that have been left," Cllr Waterman said.
Jill Harding, communications director at Dentaid, said the charity, which launched in 1996 and started working in the UK six years ago, has seen huge increases in demand since Covid-19 lockdown.
"It is all about breaking down barriers and increasing access to dental care, wherever and however that may be.
"There is clearly a demand in Suffolk - we've also been to Sudbury, Haverhill and Hadleigh.
"Bury St Edmunds is where our work in Suffolk started and they has always been the busiest clinics. There does seem to be a particular access issue in this area."
Dentaid has grown from six members in the early days to around 25 members now. The charity is soon to have seven pop-up clinic trucks for travelling treatment.
