A man who couldn't get an NHS dentist felt he had no other choice than to repair his own broken tooth using a £3.99 dentistry kit purchased from the internet. Unable to afford the price of private treatment, Antony Watson, from Bridlington, joined a number of people across the UK who felt they had no other choice but to try DIY dentistry.
Antony's tooth first broke more than 20 years ago and had been crowned. Unfortunately, the exact same tooth ended up breaking all over again after Antony bit into a cookie, leaving him in need of dental treatment he could neither access nor afford.
After missing 'a couple of appointments', Antony had ended up falling off the books of an NHS dentist several years back, and knew he didn't have to sort of cash needed to pay private fees upfront.
Antony ordered the kit over the internet (Stock Photo) (Getty Images/PhotoAlto)Speaking with BBC News, Antony recounted how he discovered a variety of home dentistry kits on offer after an internet search and opted for the cheapest, easiest one that had next-day delivery. The kit, which contained 20g of plastic beads, set him back just £3.99.
Antony, who used superglue to fix everything into place, told the publication: "You boil a kettle, you put the beads into the water. The beads then go together and go real soft and clear. You then shape it around your tooth and let it cool down. With the size of my tooth, it took five beads."
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Although he did accidentally glue his finger during the DIY treatment, Antony says he would repeat the process all over again if he had to.
Two dental clinics have shut down in Antony's hometown of Bridlington in the past three months alone. Just one NHS practice remains in the town, but it isn't currently taking on any new NHS patients. Even those in the area who can afford private healthcare can expect to be put on a waiting list.
A Department of Health spokesperson told the BBC: "We are determined to make sure everybody seeking NHS dental care can receive it when they need it, and we have recently implemented dental reforms to deliver this, with the GP Patient Survey showing over 75% of patients who tried to get a dental appointment in the last two years were successful.
"The number of dentists practicing in the NHS increased by over 500 last year and we are continuing work to improve access to dental care - backed by more than £3bn annually."
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