England 08/03/2013
In some parts of the UK, finding an emergency dentist is becoming more difficult.
Anyone who has suffered from a toothache knows just how bad it can get. Most people can tolerate some pain, but cannot cope for more than a couple of hours with toothache. Many people describe it as the worst pain they have every felt, so naturally the majority seek treatment as soon as they can. In most parts of the country, help is still easy to find for a dental emergency. Hull is an example of a city with good emergency dental cover. In fact, most cities still have good emergency dental care, but some large towns are struggling to maintain this service. Instead, people are being asked to travel significant distances for treatment.
For someone with a car this is viable, but for those without a car this is often not possible. A person with an urgent dental problem can easily find a clinic during the day and use public transport to get there. However, at weekends, and at night, those same clinics become unreachable simply because there is no public transport available during the late evening and for most of the weekend. Taking a taxi is an option, but for many this is unaffordable.
Hampshire is a county that is in the process of changing their emergency dental care facilities. They are having to work hard to find new providers as some of their current providers close their doors. Residents of West Yorkshire have recently expressed concerned that plans for their new emergency dentist service will leave them travelling miles for treatment.
Consistent service is important
Periodic re-organisation of any health service is essential and inevitable, but people across the UK are concerned they will end up with an emergency dental service that is too patchy. The East Hull Dental Centre has provided emergency cover for the people of Hull for decades and plans to continue to do so. However, without a doubt, residents in other parts of the UK will see their emergency dentist cover change radically over the next few years, and not always for the better.