Posted on 11/15/2006 8:17:02 PM PST by llevrok
Gordon Cook, 55, has used the bizarre "DIY dentistry" technique on a loose crown for the last three years - with each fresh application of glue lasting around two months.
The father of seven, who was erased from his original dentist's register after moving to a new home in Tranmere, Merseyside, said he turned to glue after losing hope of finding a dentist. He said: "I tried to find a new dentist but they had all gone private.
"A lot of them said they would take me on as an NHS patient, but only if I agreed to have the loose crown fixed as a private patient, which would cost around £100.
"In the end, I just decided to take matters into my own hands. I had read somewhere that super glue was invented for medical use, to bond skin, so I gave it a go.
"I tried a few different brands but the one I use now, which is just called Industrial Super Glue, is the best.
"You can't really taste it but you do have to be careful not to use too much, in case you glue your mouth shut."
Mr Cook, a security manager, has now found an NHS dentist and hopes to have the crown fixed professionally.
Councillor Chris Blakeley, chairman of Wirral Council's social care and health overview and scrutiny committee, said: "Mr Cook's solution was rather extreme but he is not alone when it comes to dentistry horror stories.
"People are finding it extremely difficult to find an NHS dentist, and we are currently gathering evidence to assess the scale of the problem, which is not unique to this area."
It could be worse....what if he had needed a Proctologist!?!?
They're going to launch a study! How lucky the citizens of Merseyside are!
This is actually a terrific argument in favor of national health or socialize medicine or Hillarycare. It's FAIR! Crappy, but fair! Nobody gets decent care except the politicians. Is that Fair or what?
By the time I read "first they would drill close to the pulp" and I was thinking "why didn't you just tell them what they wanted to know!!!"
Well, it was character-building. I'm not sure of any other benefits.
Damn, the dentist' name wasn't Dr. Szell--was it? Ouch!!!
No. The US dentist was in Rochester NY. The US part happened in '82, if memory serves.
Dr. Szell(the dentist) was played by Lawrence Olivier in the Marathon Man.
I forgot to add, your story made me think of that movie.
Interesting. The bloke would rather suffer and krazy-glue his own tooth in rather than pay a private dentist.
What an exagerrated sense of entitlement! I truly don't get it.
Of course, under Hillarycare there would not be a "private" option, for just this reason. Chilling.
And miss my cartoons? That's all that's worth watching now a days. :-)
"pay a private dentist."
And in US dollars that's rather a bargain, $188 or so.
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