In a Dentist Shortage, British (Ouch) Do It Themselves

The New York Times ^ | May 7, 2006 | Unsigned

[aculeus]

ROCHDALE, England, May 2 — "I snapped it out myself," said William Kelly, 43, describing his most recent dental procedure, the autoextraction of one of his upper teeth.

Now it is a jagged black stump, and the pain gnawing at Mr. Kelly's mouth has transferred itself to a different tooth, mottled and rickety, on the other side of his mouth. "I'm in the middle of pulling that one out, too," he said.

It is easy to be mean about British teeth. Mike Myers's mouth is a joke in itself in the "Austin Powers" movies. In a "Simpsons" episode, dentalphobic children are shown "The Big Book of British Smiles," cautionary photographs of hideously snaggletoothed Britons. In Mexico, protruding, discolored and generally unfortunate teeth are known as "dientes de ingles."

But the problem is serious. Mr. Kelly's predicament is not just a result of cigarettes and possibly indifferent oral hygiene; he is careful to brush once a day, he said. Instead, it is due in large part to the deficiencies in Britain's state-financed dental service, which, stretched beyond its limit, no longer serves everyone and no longer even pretends to try.

Mr. Kelly, interviewed in a health clinic here as he waited for his son to see a doctor, last visited a dentist six years ago, in Sussex.

Since moving to Rochdale, a working-class suburb of Manchester, he has been unable to find a National Health Service dentist willing to take him on.

Every time he has tried to sign up, lining up with hundreds of others from the ranks of the desperate and the hurting — "I've seen people with bleeding gums where they've ripped their teeth out," he said grimly — he has arrived too late and missed the cutoff.

[Chickensoup]

If that guy is only 43, he has a lot more issues than just teeth, dude doesn't look a day under 60



Meth...

[elkfersupper]

Coming soon to the USA, compliments of the Democrat Party.

It's already here, and it's not attributable to the Democrats.

You have to show a passport to buy (formerly) over-the-counter cold medication these days, and I don't know what you have to do (other than go to veterinary sources) in order to get antibiotics.

[bray]

Good news is he can spit sunflower seeds 20 meters.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[JockoManning]

Ping.

[weegee]

There wiould be. It would be considered a crime like paying for sex.

Only you can bet that the State would punish the "back alley" dentist more than (A) the back alley abortionist, or (B) the back alley prostitute.

[traviskicks]

I wonder if people who pull their own teeth out can get charged for practicing dentistry without a liscence? :)

If someone who had a bit of skill tried to help some of these people, but wasn't 'liscenced' he'd be thrown in jail in a NY minute.

[qam1]

I hate to say it, but American kids' teeth are getting bad too. It's amazing how many students at school don't brush their teeth - all nasty yellow and full of gunk and plaque.

Most American kids get orthodontics regardless of whether they really need them or not. Braces have a way of permanently discoloring and ruining teeth. That's what you are seeing.

Orthodontists are the biggest scam artist. In a perfect world they would end up at the bottom of the ocean under the lawyers.

[mtbopfuyn]

There's only a handful of kids in school who have/had braces. No, what I'm seeing is nasty yellow scummy teeth that have never seen a toothbrush. And these are teens who one would think would be wanting kissable mouths. But noooo, nasty nasty yellow gunk.

[bvw]

Pulling out teeth this way (1) often leaves some part of the rot, which comes to infect other teeth and gum, and even per recent studies -- the heart. (2) leaves a hole that can be infected. (3) Leaves an empty socket that the body adpats to by causing resorbtion of the bone under the gum, and even of other nearby teeth and roots. Stupid.

He could take a cheap flight to the US for some decent dentistry -- or to Costa Rica. I've heard that people are flying into Costa Rica for a few days of extensive dental surgery done by good dentists at rates one fifth of US rates. (Check it out yourself -- I'm not totally sure -- only pretty sure that it was Costa Rica that was mentioned.)

[tonycavanagh]

LOL whats a dentist

[winston2]

I remember vividly,I was 12 and it was a Sunday morning, sitting on the back of the toilet holding Dads bottle of JD as he took an exacto knife, burned and cleaned the tip, and cut carefully around an impacted wisdom tooth.........blood every where.....pausing every few seconds for another pull of JD.....finally finished cutting, put down the exacto knife and put his forefinger on the tooth, he hit the back of his hand against the tooth and out it popped. He chomped down on a wad of gauze and passed out in the chair in the living room.

bathroom splattered in blood...looked like a crime scene....

Next week he got into dentists and doc said he did a fine job..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your dad cut out his own impacted wisdom tooth?

Tough guy!

He deserves a purple heart -

[halfright]

Glad you think so.......I thought he deserved a straight jacket :-) To quote a Massachusettes liar and traitor...
"It was seared in my mind".

[snugs]

What UK laws? No one stops you using private medicine including dental care in fact most people I know use private dental care.