"Peter was not registered with an NHS dentist when he developed raging toothache."
Which suggests he hasn't seen a dentist in years. Perhaps his mother or father should have registered him with one in the first place?
Yes, they should have, but it likely would have made little or no difference given this quote from the original article:
"Wynn rang NHS Direct who told her there were NO available dentists near their home in Colwyn Bay, North Wales"
Poor people have fewer transportation options than others and are more dependent upon local services. The culprit here is not the parents but an uncaring bureaucracy that drives doctors, nurses and dentists to other countries because of overregulation and an inability to pursue their vocations in a reasonable manner.
When you are a healthcare provider and a gravely ill patient comes to you, you should have the freedom to accept that patient regardless of paperwork or monetary concerns...this is a mark of a compassionate society. This is something that happens in the USA...there is a sign in every hospital emergency room in this nation indicating (in several languages) that you will be accepted for care regardless of your ability to pay. Similarly, any U.S. dentist who would see a patient like this would take steps to ensure that he gets rapid care.
This sort of event is one part of the motivation that originally spurred Mother Teresa to establish a medical care network for "the poorest of the poor". She encountered a dying child on the streets of either Bangladesh or Calcutta, who was just outside the doors of a hospital. The hospital had turned her away because she couldn't pay. Mother Teresa held the child in her arms as she died.
This sort of thing almost happened to this young man. He should have been seen regardless of what he or his parents had signed up for or how much money they have. Great Britain deserves a medical system that allows it's healthcare practitioners to help those in need.
He didn't want to stand in line for two weeks.