Closures and warn it could inflicted by Covid shutdown I’m struggling to feed my family, so can’t afford private treatment
Taxi driver Joe Weir, 55, from Springboig, Glasgow, suffers from chronic gum disease and is at high risk of oral cancer because of his family medical history.
After six months of being unable to access his usual NHS dental care, he has lost a front tooth, needs a bridge, and is in constant, agonising pain.
But Joe says he is already struggling to feed his family, and simply cannot afford the £1,000 it would cost to treat him privately.
He said: “I feel like I’m playing Russian roulette with cancer because I can’t afford to pay for treatment, and it’s a terrifying thought.
“I’m in a high-risk category because my mum Annie had mouth cancer, and if it hadn’t been for the quick actions of her dentist 20 years ago, she wouldn’t still be with us today.
“I’ve suffered years of problems with gum disease, and because I’ve not had the three-monthly deep cleaning and treatments needed to keep my mouth healthy over the last six months because of lockdown, I’m even more at risk.
“Right now, my front tooth has fallen out because of gum disease, I desperately need a bridge, a filling, and a veneer replaced, never mind anything more sinister which could be happening.
“But I’ve never seen the taxi business as bad as its been these last six months.
“I’m struggling to feed my family and keep the taxi on the road, so I simply can’t afford to pay for private treatment.
“I don’t blame my dentist. I know he’s only following the government rules, but they are wrong and need to be changed.
“I know just how dangerous mouth cancer can be after seeing what my mum went through, but I’ve no choice but to wait and hope I’ve escaped because I simply cannot afford to pay.”
Joe’s dentist, Dr Mohammed Samad, said: “Joe is at high risk of oral cancer because of his family medical history, and right now he needs immediate treatment which I can only do if he pays privately.
“Under NHS rules, I simply cannot do anything more than look at mouth, or prescribe antibiotics or painkillers if that is appropriate.
“This is demoralising for us as dentists and devastating for patients like Joe who are being forced to go without treatment unless they can pay.
“Dentists across the country and organisations like our Scottish Dental Practice Owners Group have been expressing concern about a number of issues like this to the government, but what we get in return is copy and paste replies. Nobody is taking responsibility for what is happening.”