Man's agonising wait for toothache treatment (From thisisoxfordshire)

Man's agonising wait for toothache treatment

7:15pm Friday 12th March 2010 in

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A MAN who says he is suffering “absolute agony” from toothache was told a dentist would fix the problem in June... next year.

Martin Eldridge thought a mistake had been made when the letter arrived with details of an appointment for root canal surgery in 2011.

It was only after the Oxford Mail called the county’s primary care trust, NHS Oxfordshire, that the 43-year-old was offered a date for treatment this May.

Mr Eldridge is suffering a problem with one of his molars.

Because the root is shaped like a hook, he needs an operation by a specialist surgeon.

He said: “I thought it was a joke. I couldn’t believe they were telling me I would have to wait until June next year.

“June this year would have been bad enough. You just couldn’t make this stuff up.

“I have been in pain since Boxing Day. It comes and goes, but is absolute agony.”

Mr Eldridge, who lives near Cogges Hill Road, in Witney, and works at a market stall in Chipping Norton, has to take painkillers to cope with the problem.

The trust said the reason appointments took so long was because there were currently 183 people on a waiting list, with 590 booked appointments.

It is because some people who have root canal surgery require two or three treatments.

The trust explained there were only two people qualified to perform the specialised surgery, which is expected to cost Mr Eldridge a fee of £45.60.

ust 24 hours after the Oxford Mail called NHS Oxfordshire, the surgery where Mr Eldridge was scheduled to have the treatment called him and said he could now be seen in May.

An NHS Oxfordshire spokesman said the trust could not comment on why Mr Eldridge’s appointment was rescheduled.

But added: “Patients are assessed and booked into the next available appointment, and unfortunately the increase in referrals has resulted in longer waiting times for complex endodontics into July 2011. However, this is under review.

“If earlier appointment become available, patients are often brought in early.”

Mr Eldridge said: “I think it’s odd this has suddenly happened after a phone call from the Oxford Mail.

“I could still be waiting until next year if I hadn’t called the paper. But May is still a long time to wait.”

He added: “To be honest, it’s a shabby service.”

A spokesman for NHS Buckinghamshire said the average wait for a dental assessment appointment in its area was about six weeks, but the time needed to complete a patient’s course of treatment would depend on the amount of work needed.

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk

• Are you suffering due to a delay in NHS dental treatment? Call the Oxford Mail newsdesk on 01865 425500 or email reporter Amanda Williams at the address above