I’m 17 and haven’t seen a dentist in four years. This is life in the dental deserts of England’s NHS | Bet Riding

WWhen I was 12, my pediatric dentist went private. It was 2018 and I had just had a consultation with my orthodontist and was told that at least two teeth would need to be removed before my braces could be fitted. My options were: pay (minimum) £55 for each tooth extraction, or find a new dentist through the NHS. By sheer luck I was hired at another practice. I had to have my teeth pulled and then one more routine examination before I received a letter telling me that my new dentist had also gone private and that I would have to pay for the treatment. I Haven’t seen a dentist since.

As of 2024 there are no practices in Cornwall, where I live taking new NHS patients over 18 years old. With NHS waiting lists long and my 18th birthday fast approaching, it is unlikely I will ever see an NHS dentist again unless there is some serious reform. I’m not alone: ​​thousands of patients in Cornwall are increasingly losing hope of visiting the dentist.

Figures released by the NHS in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Liberal Democrats show that in January 2023, 27,000 children in England were waiting for specialist dental care, assessments or procedures. In Cornwall, 857 children had been referred for specialized dental treatment, with an average waiting time of twelve weeks, often leaving them with agonizing pain for months.

The nearest sites accommodating NHS patients are more than 160 miles away in Marlborough and Southampton – a return of at least eight hours, which means high fuel costs, not to mention the huge inconvenience for an appointment that takes around 10 should take minutes. There are then knock-on effects as Cornish residents remain vulnerable, their oral health deteriorates and there is a risk of further complications from this neglect.

In the current cost of living crisis, many people are running out of money when it comes to dental care. Other expenses take precedence over oral health – house prices are now on edge 10 times the average person’s salary in Cornwall, and reports from 2023 indicated that there had been food bank visits in some towns increased by 80%. Because lower-income families cannot afford to see a dentist, class gaps in Cornwall are widening.

This issue once again gives the rich an advantage over everyone else in England. I want to focus on my education and my future – I don’t want to have to worry about how to pay for dental care while I anxiously brush my teeth with prayers for them to stay healthy because I don’t want to be a financial service provider’s burden on my parents.

Although this problem is particularly acute in Cornwall, it is also widespread across England, with 40% of children across the country no longer able to access regular dental appointments.

The lack of these vital checks is adding further stress to NHS hospitals, which are underfunded and understaffed and do not need preventable problems that cost time and money. Between April 2022 and May 2023, 30,000 children and more than 70,000 adults were admitted to emergency departments in England with tooth decay. It is the largest primary cause of NHS hospital admissions for children aged between five and seventeen.

These shocking figures make me feel like I’m living in my history book: the health inequalities that were promised to be resolved under the post-war welfare state seem to be widening every year. The welfare state, introduced after the Second World War, aimed to tackle social inequality. The policy it founded was inspired by the Beveridge Report, which set out ‘the five giants’ that were holding people back from improving themselves. These were: disease, ignorance, laziness, misery and want. Nowadays in Cornwall it feels like we’ve gone back in time; I see these five giants stalking the land around me.

To create an equal society, change must be brought about by the government, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their income, has access to the care they are entitled to according to the NHS. You don’t have to be rich to go to a dentist.

• Beth Riding is an A-level student in Cornwall

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