Liverpool man pulls out 11 of his own teeth because he can not see NHS dentist
A man says he has pulled out 11 of his own teeth after not being able to see an NHS dentist.
George Glinos, 67, from Childwall, Liverpool, has been carrying out his own dental procedures on teeth which have become loose for around four years after saying he has been unable to get treatment on the NHS.
So far, he claims to have pulled out 11 of his own teeth, which he keeps in a jar.
George claims he rings on the first day of every month to try and get an NHS dentist, however said "nobody is interested" in taking on new patients.
The NHS advises against self-treatment, asking people to call the NHS 111 number or a local dentistry practice.
George says he has had emergency appointments but they are unable to provide the level of dental care he needs. He cannot afford private dental care.
George said: "Every time I try, nobody is interested in taking new people on. Nobody takes your name down or anything.
"In the four years or so where I have not had a dentist, I have had to extract my own teeth.
"I have a little jar here and there are 11 teeth in it and they are all the teeth I have extracted myself over the four years.
"I just can't get anyone to look at my teeth. I have one tooth left on my bottom jaw which I can use to bite things with and basically that is my life now.
"I have trouble eating, I have trouble digesting food, I get pains in my stomach."
George says he took matters into his own hands when the affected tooth, which has not had treatment, becomes loose.
He claimed he sees it as a choice of being in pain or trying to reduce the pain for a period of time.
"When you get a problem with your teeth and you can't get a dentist the problem doesn't go away," he said.
"You keep taking painkillers and painkillers and then eventually the tooth becomes that bad it starts becoming loose.
"That's when I interject and that's when I force the looseness of it to try and get rid of the tooth.
"I have to work at them for a few weeks and then pull the damn thing out with pliers.
"It's incredibly painful, but what can you do? I have got to the stage now where I'm 11 teeth down that it's just par for the course now, well no-one else is going to do it.
"I have either got to sit here and stay in pain or try to reduce the time that I am in pain and do it myself."
George said he believes more support should be in place, and said: "I just think there should be something out there, regardless of how bad the system is.
"How can you have a viable life if you haven't got a good set of teeth? Your smile is how you greet people."
A spokesperson for the NHS in the North West said: “The NHS recently announced the first reforms to dentistry services since 2006 which will support practices to improve access including giving high performing practices the opportunity to increase their activity and treat more patients.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on the North West region, has inevitably led to a disruption in routine dental care with NHS dentists having to focus on providing care for those with an urgent dental need.
“It is important to note that anyone who is in dental pain or in urgent need of support, help or advice, can telephone their own dental practice in the usual way.
"If they don’t have a usual dentist and have an urgent need they can contact the dental helpline on 0161 476 9651.”
NHS England has commissioned significant additional Urgent Dental Care capacity across Cheshire and Merseyside so anyone who has dental pain, trauma, swelling or bleeding can access urgent dental care.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...