Della Ball, a senior nurse and former NHS theatre manager, has been helping friends and family search, often in vain, for non-routine NHS dental help in the town. She is planning to send her petition to her MP Mel Stride (Central Devon).
Her husband was in constant dental pain and forced to have private treatment as he could not find NHS care. His private care was more expensive than it would have been on the NHS, so he scaled it back to be affordable.
Della has found appointments for private care easy to find for friends and quicker to access, with any rare available NHS treatment often only offered after months of waiting.
She said: “We face a major issue affecting our health and wellbeing with the extremely limited or complete lack of NHS dental provision in Okehampton leaving residents without access to essential dental care. This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a crisis.
“In a 30-mile radius of where we live, there simply are no dentists that offer NHS dental care. Even if patients do get NHS appointments, they are often postponed and postponed for months and then usually cancelled, which happened to my husband. It’s not a service that works for the patients.
“As a result, people are being denied basic dental services, vital for maintaining their oral health, because not everyone can afford to pay for private care.
“The lack of NHS dentists is forcing people to make impossible choices between their health and other essential expenses. They are also being driven to manage their own dental care, like pulling their own teeth.”
Della’s own daughter, now 32, was forced to wait for 32 years to be registered with an NHS dentist. And she cannot find treatment for a friend who is on welfare benefits, not even at the Peninsula Dental Schools in Exeter or Plymouth.
“We need a system that ensures accessible NHS dental services for everyone, regardless of their financial situation,” added Della.
This problem echoes across many areas in the UK, highlighting a national issue of insufficient NHS dental coverage.
On top of dental decay and gum disease, a visit to the dentist can give an early indication of underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and oral cancer. Dentists can also see signs of nutritional deficiencies.
Holly said: “Oral health is a crucial component of overall health, and disparities in accessing dental services can lead to serious health problems. So, it’s not just treating dental issues, but dentists can detect long term chronic conditions and signpost to treatments, saving lives.”
Della suggests increasing funding for NHS dental services, ensuring more dentists are incentivised to offer NHS services and removing administrative barriers preventing dentists accepting NHS patients.
She said: “I urge the government and relevant authorities to act immediately in expanding NHS dental provision. Let's ensure that everyone has access to affordable dental care.”
Della’s petition is on Change.org at this link: https://tinyurl.com/3zymzdmh
A spokesperson for mydentist said: “We remain committed to providing NHS dentistry and our practice in Okehampton will continue to offer NHS treatments where availability allows.”
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