A rising number of patients have complained about appointments being postponed at the {my}dentist in Hadleigh's Meadow Way branch.

People have either been turned away saying they should have had ;better telling them not to arrive, others have arrived to find the dentists completely closed, while other have being advised to try other branches but have been eft frustrated at the lack of response.

One patient told Nub News: "We turned up for our appointment only to be told it had been postponed and a letter should have been sent.

"We never got any letter and it was hugely annoying. I'm genuinely worried we will not be treated in Hadleigh and have to go Ipswich.

"We were assured before Christmas that the dentist would be staying open, well technically I suppose it is, but you either can't get an appointment, or if you do it is cancelled.

"I have to say the receptionist have been great and I feel for them but there is someone clearly not right there."

It is not clear how many people, including children have been affected or how long the issue may continue.

A spokesperson for {my}dentist today said: "Unfortunately, due to staff illness some patient appointments have been cancelled. We apologise to our patients for any inconvenience this may cause."

Nub News reported in December that patients had been told the surgery would not be reopening after the festive period, this was denied by MyDentist, who admitted the practice was up for sale.

"We are still exploring the option of selling the practice with a view to dental provision continuing under new ownership," said the {my}dentist spokesperson today. "Rest assured patients will be kept informed of any changes."

Full story here...

The complaints come as Toothless in England' called on government to declare an emergency and implement a disaster recovery plan, warning that unless they do so immediately NHS dentistry could soon become extinct.

The call comes after data obtained from NHS England and NHS Wales shows more than 2,500 dentists – the equivalent of up to 8% of the workforce – stopped treating NHS patients last year.

In a BBC led report published today (20th January 2022), the scale of the dental crisis is shown to pre-date the coronavirus pandemic and that the worse has yet to come.

Spokesperson for Toothless in England, Mark Jones says, "The study reveals that 16 million patients are now without a dentist. Over 40% of dentists are looking to change career or retire early, and 1-in-10 practices are saying that they are considering closing their doors.

"NHS dentistry must be saved from extinction. We are calling on the government and NHS England commissioners to declare an emergency and implement a disaster recovery plan immediately.

"This plan must immediately address the mass exodus of NHS qualified dentists. An emergency contract must be quickly drawn up, backed by appropriate levels of funding, that incentivises patient care over targets, such that it will enable dental surgeries across the country to slow down the decline.

"It must also look to ensure that hundreds, if not thousands of overseas qualified dentists who have been living here for years waiting to be put through the NHS competency exams, are now fast-tracked so they can fill the vacancies.

"After that, the government and the Treasury must work together with the profession, unions, dental schools, and patient groups to create an NHS dental contract that is fit for purpose, one which above all meets the needs of the patient."

Patient groups and MP's as far back as 2008 declared the NHS dental contract not fit for purpose. This is the root of the problem and the cause of the crisis, according to Toothless in England campaigners. They say that in the 14 years since, dentists are still having to deal with a contract system that puts targets over patient care, with funding 30% less than it was over ten years ago. And with not a single penny of the government's spending review last year was allocated for NHS dentistry!

NHS dental services are disappearing at an alarming rate. In some towns, it's non-existent. Next month [February 2 & 3] the Toothless in Suffolk campaign has arranged for Dentaid, a dental charity that normally provides treatment to third world countries using mobile clinics, to return to Suffolk. Local councillors in Leiston and Bury St Edmunds have helped finance the visits using their locality budgets.

Dentaid were surprised by the high level of demand experienced when they visited Bury St Edmunds last year. Over 70 patients needing urgent treatment were seen across the two days they were in town.

Mark Jones says, "We shouldn't have to seek help from a charity when we are one of the richest countries in the world. We pay our National Insurance and we expect the NHS to be there when we need it. We're not getting the service we pay for."

Toothless in England regional campaign groups are being launched to help amplify the voices of patients in desperate need of treatment, calling for an NHS dentist for everyone. Suffolk, where the campaign began, Norfolk, and Huntingdonshire groups are already up and running, with Toothless in Manchester and Toothless in Newcastle having just been formed. Elsewhere across England, groups are organising themselves and will come on stream soon.

'Toothless' Facebook groups up and down the country are full of posts from patients sharing their stories. It is not uncommon to read of people taking matters into their own hands by drinking a bottle of whisky before they pull out their own teeth or lancing an abscess with a needle to relieve the pressure and pain, all because they cannot find anyone to treat them. Pregnant mothers and patients undergoing cancer treatment suffering severe pain unable get treatment is commonplace.

Mark Jones adds, "It's really upsetting to hear. These stories are what you'd expect to read in a Dickensian novel, not now in 2021. The public's oral, general, and mental health suffers while the government continues to neglect and underfund the service. Dentistry is a critical part of the NHS and government must finally wake up and take an interest in it. We are calling on the government to act now and bring NHS dentistry back from the edge of extinction'."

Toothless in England are planning a national day of action later in the year which will see patients protesting and lobbying constituency MP's and government ministers.