A woman, who had to fork out more than £900 on private dental care after she fell down the stairs and knocked a tooth out, has said she was booted off her NHS practice’s list for not going enough.
Mandy Lincoln had been at the Mydentist practice in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, for more than ten years when the disastrous incident happened just before Christmas.
But when she phoned her dentist for emergency treatment she was told she had been deregistered during the pandemic as her last appointment had been in February 2019.
Mrs Lincoln says she had been following the government’s own rules to stay away if possible and even avoided going when a tooth cracked during the pandemic.
Now Mrs Lincoln faces the threat of her dental bill spiralling into the thousands after she was told a nerve had been damaged during the treatment, meaning the tooth will eventually go black and die.
Mandy Lincoln had to fork out more than £900 on private dental care after she fell down the stairs and knocked a tooth out
Mrs Lincoln had been going to the Mydentist practice in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, for more than ten years when the disastrous incident happened just before Christmas
When she phoned her dentist for emergency treatment she was told she had been deregistered during the pandemic as her last appointment had been in February 2019
‘I’m fortunate because I can afford the bill I’ve got, but there will be so many people who can’t,’ Mrs Lincoln told Manchester Evening News.
‘I know people who have dental problems and just ring for an emergency dental appointment – that’s how they get seen. It’s crazy.’
Dental services in the UK were restricted by the government on March 25 2020 as Covid broke out.
Mrs Lincoln had an appointment, which had been cancelled six months earlier when her dentist left the practice, due when lockdown struck.
Over the next three years, she steered clear of her practice and never heard from them.
After her fall in December, NHS doctors gave Mrs Lincoln external and internal stitches but said a dentist would need to see the splint on her tooth.
The practice told her she had been taken off their list but that she could see them privately or try to get on their waiting list for new patients a few days later.
When she did this, her calls went straight to voicemail despite ringing them 225 times between 9am and 9.30am.
After her fall in December, NHS doctors gave Mrs Lincoln external and internal stitches but said a dentist would need to see the splint on her tooth
Mrs Lincoln had an appointment, which had been cancelled six months earlier when her dentist left the practice, due when lockdown struck
When she tried to rejoin the practice, her calls went straight to voicemail despite ringing them 225 times between 9am and 9.30am
Mrs Lincoln had no joy approaching other practices either and was told there was a six-month waiting list for an NHS dentist.
Her husband, who was a major in the armed forces, has not seen a dentist since 2018 as he also can’t get registered.
She said: ‘Are we just waiting for people to die? It’s appalling.’
Mrs Lincoln eventually resorted to getting private treatment which came to £915 for urgent treatment, a root canal, the removal of a retainer, a composite and an x-ray.
Navendu Mishra, Labour MP for nearby Stockport, said: ‘It is simply unacceptable that so many people in Stockport and beyond are unable to access the dental care they need.’
She said: ‘Are we just waiting for people to die? It’s appalling. I’m fortunate because I can afford the bill I’ve got, but there will be so many people who can’t’
Mrs Lincoln eventually resorted to getting private treatment which came to £915 for urgent treatment, a root canal, the removal of a retainer, a composite and an x-ray
A spokesperson for Mydentist said: ‘We feel for Ms Lincoln and the experience she has had.
‘There is currently an exceptionally high demand for NHS dental care and although our practice teams work hard to treat all the patients who call for an NHS appointment, unfortunately it’s not always possible.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Dentistry should be accessible and available to all who need it and we want every adult and child who needs an NHS dentist to get one regardless of where in England they live.’