A mum was deregistered by her dentist due to a missed appointment while she was in intensive care.
Mandy Sharp, 59, has been unable to get a dentist appointment for seven years and has since lost 13 teeth. She claims she was taken off the register when she cancelled an appointment to undergo emergency surgery for a cancerous tumour in 2016.
But despite trying hundreds of dentists near and far, Mandy has been told none are accepting new NHS patients. The Leeds mum said she now looks "like a drug addict" as she has one tooth remaining on the top row. She has since started a Facebook group where she hopes those with similar experiences will contribute their stories.
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She said: "I got to the point where I wanted to throw myself out of a window. I’ve lost 13 teeth, and now I’m down to one at the front, and the rest have all snapped off. And the bottom ones have started to go.
"Everyone used to comment on them, saying ‘Why are your teeth so white? Why are your teeth so bright?’ They really stood out. Now it’s embarrassing. I feel like a drug addict. People look down on you when you have only got one top tooth. And it’s changed the shape of my face as well."
Mandy had been a patient at Whitecross Dental Care in Leeds for six months in 2016 when she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour and was rushed to hospital. Mandy spent three weeks in an ICU where she underwent emergency surgery, in which she was forced to cancel her upcoming dentist appointment.
After asking her mum to cancel it at least a week in advance, when she came out of the hospital, she claimed she was struck off their patient list as staff said she’d "missed" an appointment. She added: "It was just that one appointment I missed. It was absolutely insane.
"I phoned them up, emailed them and I begged them and begged them, ‘Please, I’ve been in hospital. I need my teeth sorted.’ I had two fillings to go at that point. They said: ‘No sorry, we’ve got to be strict as there are so many people on our list waiting. And we’ve made a decision and you can’t go back on it."
As Mandy began to search for a new dentist, she noticed black marks forming on her teeth as they began to rot, and over Christmas in 2021, nine of her top teeth "snapped off". After biting a crisp and realising it was her teeth that had come loose, she said she was "desperate" to be seen.
She said: "I did get an appointment for 2023, but I thought I’m going to get a dentist before that, I don’t need that. But I really, really wish I had booked it now. They were all wanting £80, but I couldn’t afford that as I’m on benefits."
Mandy, who has been on antidepressants, said she has tried to get a referral through her GP for dental care several times but she is sadly still no closer to getting the treatment she needs. The branch of Whitecross Dental Care, in Bramley, Leeds, has since closed down and moved locations after it was taken over by a larger group, (My)dentist.
A spokesperson from (My)dentist, said: "We’re disappointed to hear that Ms [Sharp] had this experience at the practice when it was under different management. Our practice teams work hard to treat as many people within the community as possible but sadly, we understand that many patients like Ms Rhodes are struggling to access NHS dental care.
"There is currently an acute shortage of dentists across the UK and, since the pandemic, this has become even more severe. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to recruit as many new clinicians as possible to ensure that patients can get access to the affordable care they need."
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