Posted on 11/13/2006 11:10:29 AM PST by qam1
A man fixed his front tooth with superglue after failing to find an NHS dentist.
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."
Superglue?
What? Did he run out of duct tape?
HillaryCare!
ahem...ping!
Paging ...
My friend had a Polish nanny for the summer of 1990. She was at the dentist every other week. I asked her why. She said, "it's great over here. You have Novacaine."
Industrial Super Glue: It's the Sam Adams of Super Glues, don't you know...
Doesn't sound like "he joys of socialized medicine", sounds more like he finds a series prollem with it.
I think the duct tape is only for use on broken limbs.
Comments?......
Yeah, just the countries in Europe with electricity have this problem, thank goodness.
IOW, he was too CHEAP to go pay for it hisself!........
British people have dentists? I didn't think they had teeth!.....
bookmark for later printing.
I feel his pain. I went to the dentist with a terrible toothache, they gave me fillings on the other teeth but couldn't fix the problem tooth because Medi-Cal takes 6 weeks to approve a root canal. So I left the office in more pain than I arrived and agonized for a month and a half. And this was only a tooth!
Bwahahaha...oh, behave....rowr...
What an idiot. I've found that solder works better and lasts longer.
I did the same thing recently, While camping with the Boy scouts I broke my crown, Rather than cut short the trip "a little dab will do ya"! Sometimes you need to improvise.
Back home my Dentist thought I was nuts.
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