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."
Don't laugh - it worked for me. I had a crown put in a few years ago. The first one I swallowed in my sleep, the second one came off a few weeks later and I swallowed the third one while eating dinner.
My dentist told me that she had just read an article that said that certain individuals have an enzyme in their saliva that appears to dissolve the glue that dentists used. She felt that's what was happening to my crowns.
I jokingly said, " Why don't you use Superglue?"
She answered, "That's exactly what I'm going to use."
That crown has been in for 5 years now with no problems.
Why didn't you have the root canal and pay for it yourself? Money is only worth so much.
I didn't have $1200 on hand. I apologize.
I'm not sure it's so much socialism as it is just that the government restricts the licensing of dentists. We have the same problem here, although more in the case of physicians than dentists. Of course, the government does license dentists here, but the efforts to keep their numbers down have not been as aggressive as with the case of physicians.
He's too cheap to drop $190 on teeth?
I have full coverage and had to spend $400 for a crown.
That said, cyanoactrylate adhesives (Superglue) are real good for bonding skin. I use it for minor cuts and scrapes.
I think if he stopped off at the local petrol depot and stuffed the air compressor in his mouth to use the air to dry off the gum, he would have gotten much better long term results.
ROFLOL. I went to the dentist after losing a cap, and he charged me $90 for re-seating it with glue. His fix lasted 90 days and he wanted another $90. I cleaned the cap and used Super Glue, and my first fix lasted 6 months. The last time I was in Volgograd, Russia, and when it came out my wife suggested we go to her dentist. His office was comparable to an American dentist in the eighties. He cleaned the cap, glued it, and charged me 20 Rubles. That translates into approximately 70 cents.
LOL...good one!
Reminds me of when I was younger and working in a hardware store. Someone came in and was buying a variety of plumbing tols and parts. He described the new plumbing in his house he was going to do. I remember the plumber parts manager telling him that he may want to have a plumber come in and do it. Costly, but it'd be done right. "No thanks." Wasn't more than 2 days later when a local plumber came in. Sure enough, Mr Fixit had done it wrong and caused a major leak that ruined the plumbing, woodwork, carpets, and more.
The damage to later repair is insuring that one of my brethren in the UK can put down a good downpayment on a Jaguar.
I have been in the same position. Getting rid of the pain is worth anything. Dentist will work with a patient to make it possible to get the root canal done or they will drill a hole in the tooth to releave the pain caused by an abcess.
Heck, I was doing that about 10 years ago when one of my crowns kept falling out.
They didn't write a story about me!
(sigh)
The dentists told me they couldn't even touch the bad tooth until they had government approval. But my only point was that socialized medicine will leave people to wait for 6 weeks to 6 months for procedures that are far more important than teeth. I didn't mean to come across as a crybaby.
I saw a guy pull his own tooth with a pair of pliers, but I have never had any desire to try it myself.
When the government takes half your paycheck, a little "thrift" is necessary.
LOL!
I thought that TOOTH paste would work
Duct tape works great on "hotspots" in hiking boots to prevent blisters. Just place a 4" strip sticky-side-up on a table. Place another smaller strip sticky-side-down on top. Place this shiny side against the blister that might be forming on your foot to give needed relief from rubbing. It works like a charm, is inexpensive, available anywhere, and the duct tape glue is very durable.
~ Blue Jays ~
Thank you! I'd never have thought of duct tape for blister control! Well done!
"I think the duct tape is only for use on broken limbs."
Puncture wounds, too.
(This works, BTW)
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