Featured Image Credit: Guy Bell/Alamy Stock Photo/Instagram/festivalmedicalservicesfms
Topics: Glastonbury, Health, UK News, Music
Chloe Rowland
Topless blokes mud sliding, massive flags, minging bogs, baby wipes and lots of booze - all typical sights at a British festival. But popping off for a dentist appointment between sets? Not so much.
Getting registered at a dentist and bagging an appointment can be a proper pain in the a*** at times, but it seems Glastonbury punters are taking advantage of the medical facilities on site, with the festival's medical volunteers reporting an influx in those seeking emergency dental care.
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Festival Medical Services has attended the event every year as festival-goers descend on Worthy Farm for five music-filled days, setting up various medical tents aiming to deal with minor ailments such as heat exhaustion.
But it seems many are now trying to get their teeth checked, having been unable to book an appointment at home.
Chris Howes, the charity’s managing director, explained: “We have a dental clinic here, and we did notice that there are a lot of people very early on after we opened who were turning up with dental problems.
"We’ve seen a lot of the site crew, people working here on the build, who haven’t had access to a dentist either because they don’t have one or they couldn’t get off to see someone.
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“We don’t offer routine check-ups or teeth polishing or anything like that – it is emergency dentistry that we do.”
Medical staff have also been reporting an increase in heat-related health issues as the heatwave continues to rage on.
On Saturday, for instance, temperatures reached a sweltering 27°C.
"I think so much of what we see is weather related. For example in conditions like this when it’s hot and dry and has been for quite a while we get a lot of dust-related things – asthma attacks, sore eyes, things like that," Howes added.
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The charity anticipates it will treat 4,000 to 5,000 patients this year across the entire festival.
So far, we've seen the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Aitch, Guns N' Roses, Lizzo and Lewis Capaldi take to the stage at the iconic festival, though it hasn't fallen short of drama.
The Arctic Monkeys left fans unimpressed with their 'boring' set on Friday, while fans of Lana Del Rey who showed up to see her set yesterday were dismayed to see the singer escorted off by security after power was cut to her stage.
Oh, and Lewis Capaldi branded his set on the Pyramid stage yesterday a 's***show' when he had to ask fans to help him fill in the lyrics.
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Glastonbury continues in full force today, with headliners Elton John, Lil Nas X and Blondie set to take to the stage later on.