Single father desperate for a dentist for his daughter

Colin McCabb, a single father of a thirteen-year-old girl from Bournemouth, has waited for an NHS dentist for four months.

Mr McCabb shared that his daughter started experiencing pain in her side teeth and that he had begun calling local dentists to book an appointment.

“I rang around a few local dentists but we were unable to find any dentists that would actually take her on.”

He added: “I rang the NHS helpline, and basically the instruction was to keep ringing.”

Mr McCabb said that he spent half a day ringing multiple dentists and said if things don’t improve, he will look at booking in a private clinic despite saying he “doesn’t believe” in private.

He highlighted that big towns like Bournemouth should have more availability and that more training needs to be done.

The latest NHS figures show that the overall median waiting time nationwide for treatment in November 2021 was around 6 million people.

According to a survey commissioned by charity Engage Britain, more than 20% of people in the UK accessed private healthcare because they couldn’t get the required treatment.