22 Sep Dentists warn against ‘really dangerous’ DIY dentistry
DENTISTS have told how cases of people harming themselves through DIY dentistry are getting more common.
Speaking to GB News, dentist Rhona Eskander said: “It’s really dangerous, because taking out a tooth is extremely complex. You can only see the part of your mouth that shows but teeth are anchored into bone, there’s blood supply, and so forth.
“It’s really quite complicated, hence why we have to study for so many years to do these procedures safely.
“The thing is, though, I did have a lot of patients contact me regarding emergency treatments during lockdown…they are also going to the chemist and trying to find these fillings that they can plug into holes and so forth.
“The problem is getting worse and worse.”
In an interview with Patrick Christys during GB News Live, she added: “For those people that do think the dentist is scary, I think they’ve got to recognise that prevention is better than cure.
“And actually, if you have diseases as it were, that could be rectified with simple procedures like having your teeth cleaned or filling that has been spotted when it’s early, these are going to be less invasive and less painful for you.
“When a small hole forms, it turns into an irreversible disease when the decay becomes so deep that it reaches the nerve that then leads to root canals and extractions which are much more invasive.
“So you’ve got to think to yourself that if you go more often, you can be in a place where you won’t have to have more invasive procedures.”
Ms Eskander added: “You’ve got to just try and do a little bit of research, spend some time – there are websites, for example, that can really help you that are out there available to the public.
“There’s dental phobia, where you can actually have a look at the website, see if there’s any dentists that are qualified in helping people with phobias as such.
“And also we’ve got the Oral Health Foundation, which is a charity and it gives free impartial advice to those in pain and can offer really good suggestions for those that can’t get into a dentist.”
Dr Ben Atkins, immediate past president of the Oral Health Foundation, added: “It’s awful. I’ve had patients come into where I see them and treat them and they’ve done the wrong tooth.
“They’re taking their own teeth out and it’s a real challenge, so patients must be aware that they shouldn’t do that unless they’ve been guided to or spoke to their pharmacist and said ‘look, what can we do?’
“Those kits are very good, but working with your dental team is really really important.
“We’re all in very, very challenging times and it’s not going to get easier.
“We’ve got a dramatic shortage in employment of dentists and therapists and dental nurses at the moment, we need some massive changes before this journey improves.”
