Family unable to get appointment with NHS dentist flies 6,000 miles to BRAZIL

A family has to fly nearly 6,000 miles to Brazil for dental checkups due to the NHS crisis.

Stuart Woodmansey, of Market Weighton in Yorkshire, says he hasn’t been able to get a date for “years”.

Meanwhile, his Brazilian-born wife Kedma, who moved to England in 2017, is unable to register neither herself nor her son Jacob with a local NHS dentist.

This means that Ms. Woodmansey has no choice but to combine trips from her family in Sao Paulo with checks.

Security consultant Woodmansey said it would work “much cheaper” than private pay, despite flights costing up to £700 per person.

It comes in the midst of an NHS dentistry crisis caused by the Covid pandemic, where desperate patients are resorting to ‘do-it-yourself’ procedures.

This means that Ms. Woodmansey has no choice but to combine trips from her family in Sao Paulo with checks.

Even before the pandemic, dentistry was in crisis and is the only part of the NHS operating on a lower budget than it was a decade ago.

Many dental practices say it is no longer financially viable to offer NHS procedures, leading to a “migration” of dentists to the private sector when Covid hits.

Speaking of his ordeal, Mr Woodmansey said: The Sun: ‘I can’t get an appointment in our area. I’ve been trying for years.

“I have to go to Brazil while on vacation.”

Mr Woodmansey, 43, has been out of surveillance since before the pandemic after Covid ruined millions of people’s travel plans.

‘After paying for a flight from £600 to £700, the dentist in Brazil charges just £50 per visit.

Speaking of his ordeal, Mr Woodmansey said, “I can’t get an appointment in our area. I’ve been saying for years. Viewed with his wife

Ms. Woodmansey also tried to register with the dentist during the pandemic, but was told they could not take in new patients.

Millions of people are denied access to dental care after the number of NHS dentists fell to record levels last year

Official data from the Health Service, which records the number of adults NHS dentists see over a 24-month period, show the drastic decline in the number of people going to the dentist since the pandemic. The situation was made worse by the 6 million fewer sightings compared to pre-pandemic levels, as people struggled to access NHS dental services due to the lack of appointments prior to Covid.

‘It costs a lot less than £1000 for a private treatment here.’

Ms. Woodmansey also tried to register with the dentist during the pandemic, but was told they could not take in new patients.

The NHS says dental offices don’t always have the ability to recruit new patients.

This means patients may have to go on a waiting list, find another dentist, or pay to be seen privately.

NHS patients in England currently pay £23.80 for a check-up, but getting crowns, prostheses and bridges can cost up to £282.80.

According to Welke, private consultations can cost up to £120, while comparable procedures can cost £2,500.

Last week it became clear that Woodmansey was not alone in their plight. Two out of five people have trouble getting to an NHS dentist.

Meanwhile, Somerset residents cannot register as new NHS dental patients for routine care.

There has been a mass exodus of NHS dentists to the UK over the past year, leaving healthcare the smallest staffing in a decade.

Two-thirds of dentists said they want to reduce their NHS obligations and plan to move entirely to the private sector next year.

It has created “dental deserts” across the country where there is virtually no chance of seeing an NHS dentist for routine care.

Campaign groups warn patients are facing a “twin crisis” of access and accessibility that could exacerbate inequalities, despite the government’s “softening” agenda.