READERS have been getting in touch to tell us all about their experiences of getting a dentist appointment in the Wrexham and Flintshire area.

Widespread attention has been given recently to the difficulties in accessing NHS dentistry in Wales, with a number of Senedd Members describing it as a ‘crisis’.

However, the full extent of this ‘crisis’ is unknown, with no clear picture of how many people are currently waiting to see an NHS dentist.

According to the Senedd's website, access to dental services in Wales was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a backlog of patients in need of dental care and treatment.

However, there were also long-standing access issues prior to the pandemic.

A recent study conducted by Sam Rowlands MS, concluded that only four out of 57 NHS dentists in the region were taking on new patients.

The Leader recently published an article on the situation in Wrexham, with MP Sarah Atherton claiming that some residents there are going as far as to pull their own teeth out after being unable to access dentists.

And it seems that that is an ongoing solution to the problem for people in both Flintshire and Wrexham.

This week, we asked our readers 'are you struggling to get an NHS dentist appointment?'

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Here is what some of our readers had to say ...

Jacqueline Williams, from Penycae, told us: "Me and my boys always had check ups and after covid happened we got kicked out of our dentist cause they said we haven't been for ages. It just seemed to me they wanted to get rid of NHS patients so now we can't get in anywhere."

Helen-Marie Sullivan added: "I've been on waiting lists to be taken on as an NHS patient since before lockdown."

Tracey Owens said: "I am still waiting on a “cancelation”- 3 years down the line."

Kellyann Wright, from Wrexham, told us: "I haven't seen a dentist in five years. Luckily, my teeth are doing ok. I'm more upset that they don't support children more as my five-year-old has never seen a dentist and now is getting her big teeth through.

"Want to make sure she is seen soon but I got no hopes with the way the situation is."

Joy Brereton, from Wrexham, said: "I had been with a practice for over 25 years as an NHS patient then a couple of dentists left. I received a letter in the post to say I was no longer a patient and to find another dentist!"

Rob Garnett, from Buckley, wrote: "Was on the waiting list for about 5 years, but the dentist dropped NHS before I got took on, even my 15 year old son has had to go private. Pulled my own tooth out with pliers after it broke..."

Denise Bartley had a similar experience, adding: "Yes, desperately. Had to pull mine out with a pliers because you can't get in any where."

And for Zayley Marles too, who said: "Yep that's me I've pulled my bottom wisdom tooth out, I couldn't even get to see the emergency either."

Others have been luckier with appointments, like  Julie Richardson from Brymbo, who said: "My dentist is still NHS.. I've always kept up with appointments and am due to have root canal treatment next month. They are fantastic to be fair but I do feel for people that can't get appointments."

Sue Jones said: "Rhos dental practice are fantastic. Been for check ups, had fillings and new crown."

The Leader:

The Welsh Government also recently said it was 'taking action' to improve access to dental services across Wales.

A statement from them read: "We’ve increased funding for dentistry and doubled the number of training places for dental therapy at Cardiff University and a new dental hygiene programme started last year at Bangor University.

“Reform of the national dental contract has enabled 155,000 people, who did not have access to NHS dentistry, to receive care this year. We will continue to work with the dentistry sector to monitor and explore reform.

“All health boards have arrangements in place to provide emergency dental treatment, advice and support. People seeking treatment should contact the dental helpline or NHS 111 and they will be able to be assessed whether urgent treatment is needed, or whether the patient can be seen at the next earliest opportunity during normal hours.”

Replying to people's concerns, Adele Gittoes, BCUHB interim director of operations, said: "The shortage of dental professionals nationally has been well reported and unfortunately we are experiencing the same challenges in North Wales. We apologise for the difficulties this causes our citizens.

“Since April 2021 we have lost eight dentists across the region. They have left the profession through retirement or were overseas dentists returning home. Despite these losses, almost 41,000 new patients visited a dentist last year. These are people who have not accessed an NHS dentist in the last four years.

“In Wrexham and Flintshire, where we have lost two dental practices in the last 12 months, we were able to treat 13,848 new patients. This represents a 6.3% increase on the previous year.

“As part of our continuing work to improve access for the people of North Wales, we have recently concluded a process to procure additional activity and continue to explore new innovative ways of working to address recruitment, retention and upskilling of staff locally.

“The new Dental Academy in Bangor aims to drive innovative change in the provision of care, linking educational opportunities with service provision. This model will enhance the skills of dental registrants in primary, community and secondary care and attract additional talent to the area.

“For those people with an urgent dental need, a helpline is available and this can be accessed through NHS 111 Wales.”