Shola Lee
An ex-butcher has resorted to pulling his own teeth out after waiting more than a decade for an appointment.
David Sergeant, 50, has taken extreme measures after enduring several painful teeth and lengthy NHS wait times, which have ultimately left him with no other option.
According to the lad from Leeds, he prepares by downing a 'couple of beers' and taking ibuprofen before yanking out the affected teeth.
Sergeant, who has been hit hard by the cost of living crisis, receives Disability Living Allowance but struggles to even buy food for his beloved dog, Ash, and has few options for his dental care.
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After unsuccessfully finding an NHS dentist and private care not being viable for his financial situation, he has been left to treat himself.
This is a practice that the NHS strongly advises against and asks those in need to call 111 or a local dentist for further assessment.
Still, pulling his teeth out has become a harsh reality for Sergeant, as he explained: "I’ve been pulling my own teeth out. I can’t get an NHS dentist, for ten or 15 years.
"I’ve tried referrals from the doctors and there’s nowhere that will take me."
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He's even got a method of pulling out the impacted tooth: "I wait until the tooth is loose and then loosen it and loosen it and loosen it and pull it out myself," he explained.
"I have used plyers in the past, like big ones, but most of the time I just use my fingers.
"I have a couple of beers and fill myself up with ibuprofen and out it comes. Next morning there’s a bit of blood.
“It doesn’t feel very good. At the end of the day, I’m having to pull my own teeth out when I should have somebody looking after me."
Again, this horrific endurance is strongly advised to not be tried at home under any circumstances.
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An NHS spokesperson said about the issue: "Anyone with concerns about their dental health should contact a local dentist practice as they usually would or seek advice from NHS 111.
"Recently announced reforms to dentistry services are supporting practices to improve access including by giving high performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients – with discussions around further changes that benefit patients and staff ongoing.
“Infection prevention and control measures to protect staff and patients were introduced during the pandemic, limiting the number of procedures that NHS dentists could carry out, however these have now been lifted so dental teams are operating at full capacity for the first time in two years."
LADBible has reached out to the NHS for further comment.