People are removing their OWN teeth as lack of PPE prevents dentists from treating patients
PEOPLE are removing their own teeth during lockdown - as dentists are facing "critical shortages" in personal protective equipment (PPE).
The British Dental Association (BDA) say over half of dentists in England are lacking the right PPE to treat patients during the coronavirus pandemic at urgent dental care hubs.
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And the organisation, which represents UK dentists, are warning that individuals with urgent problems are now having to "take matters into their own hands."
Billy Taylor is one individual who claims he was forced to pull out his own tooth as he was in "excruciating pain" and was unable to get any dentist treatment.
Mr Taylor said the DIY extraction to remove his molar took an hour and a half.
The BDA highlighted the PPE shortages after surveying one thousand dentists across the country.
They found that a staggering 54 per cent of dentists in England said they were having their efforts to treat patients hampered due to a lack of PPE.
High risk
On top of this, two thirds of dentists at sites in England reported shortages of FFP3 masks and gowns and 58 per cent of dentists said they do not feel fully protected at their sites.
Dentists say PPE is necessary because they can be as close as 20cm from patients' mouths and are therefore at a high risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19.
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong blasted the Government for putting dentists at risk.
And he pointed out that the scale of these shortages has led some dentists in the South East to actively explore alternative sources of PPE, including non-medical equipment, such as scuba masks.
He warned: "Many dentists have been redeployed, only to find their hands tied by a critical shortage of kit, and delays in training and fit-testing.
"The depth of these problems will fatally undermine any progress on getting this network up and running.
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“Patients are taking matters into their own hands, while desperate colleagues shop around for scuba gear in a bid to keep themselves safe.
"It is time for a genuinely national effort to get PPE to the NHS front line.
"No health professional should have to risk becoming a super spreader simply to eke out supplies. The authorities should not be putting dentists, their families or patients in harm’s way."
The slow roll-out of PPE in England has seen millions left without access to urgent care across whole regions.
Sites inactive
In fact, a third of the urgent dental care sites in England remain inactive, compared with just two per cent across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In response, the chief dental officer for England, Sara Hurley, says there are now 219 open hubs "to provide care for those who need it" and that "every hub has the relevant PPE and work is ongoing to ensure that supply is maintained."
These urgent dental care (UDC) hubs are designed to provide emergency dental treatment for patients with urgent needs, such as cracked teeth, gum infections and facial swelling.
Patients needing emergency treatment are meant to be referred to a UDC hub after a telephone consultation with their local dentist.
Local practices were told to suspend routine face-to-face services on 25 March in order to slow the spread of coronavirus and to set up local UDC hubs to treat patients with urgent needs.
Despite this, the BDA says progress has been too slow.
Dr Michael Ehrlich, based at a practice in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, is one of the dentists facing a lack of PPE.
He told Radio 4's Today programme: "All I'm allowed to do is give prescriptions out because of no PPE.
"We haven't seen anyone for three weeks because face-to-face without the appropriate PPE is not advised and not possible."
Dr Ehrlich has ordered some visors from a school technology department but says he can't get hold of the right masks to protect the staff at his practice.
Using a dental drill creates an aerosol spray which can spread the virus
Dr Michael Ehrlich
"There aren't enough in the country, I understand that and they need to go to A&E in the hospitals obviously, but we can't do anything without them," he said.
"Using a dental drill creates an aerosol spray which can spread the virus particles without these masks.
"And it's not just about getting the masks - they need to be professionally fitted as well."
Dr Ehrlich added that he is advising people to get temporary filling kits, take pain killers and if necessary ask a dentist to prescribe antibiotics.
Despite this, many people are resorting to pulling out their own teeth during lockdown.
Aircraft fitter Billy Taylor, 33, from Axminster, Devon, told Radio 4 that he decided to pull out his own tooth after experiencing "pretty bad" pain over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
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"I phoned my dentist. They said they're closed and will put me on an emergency waiting list, but they're not sure how long it would take to see me", Mr Taylor said.
"The pain was absolutely excruciating so I thought I'd take it into my own hands"
Mr Taylor said the DIY extraction took an hour and a half.
"I didn't release how hard it would be to take out a molar tooth".
The pain was absolutely excruciating so I thought I'd take it into my own hands
Billy Taylor
Dentists are strongly urging people against any patient doing their own dentistry - and following in Billy's footsteps.
Dr Bashar Al-Naher, founder of the Care Dental practices, said: "There are a number of complications that can arise from dental treatment even within dental surgeries whilst being treated by dental professionals.
"These are complications that we have been extensively trained to deal with, so to perform DIY dentistry, people are exposing themselves to an even greater risk of complications with no knowledge of how to deal with them making this categorically inadvisable.
"Do not attempt anything yourself more than replacing a lost filling with a temporary filling kit.
Seek advice
"If you are in any pain or major discomfort your first action should be to seek advice from your dentist or call NHS 111.
"Tooth extraction for example, if performed without the necessary resources and techniques can result in pain, unnecessary and avoidable trauma, nerve damage/paralysis, excessive bleeding and re-infection."
He added: "Your first port of call should be to contact your registered dentist.
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"They will then advise you on what you can do from home, which painkillers to take if you are in pain and whether or not you will require an antibiotic prescription.
"If more urgent treatment is required you will be referred to a UDC hub where treatment can be carried out under strict infection control, either via your dentist or NHS 111.
"If you are not currently registered with a dentist, you can call NHS 111 and the same service will be provided."