What to do if you can't get an NHS dentist appointment

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00:00Hi, I'm health journalist Sarah McCann. A recent report from the British Dental Association

00:04has found that up to 97% of new patients are unable to access NHS dental care.

00:13Today I'm joined by Miranda Passacucci, dental therapist for oral health brand TP, to talk

00:19about what you can do if you can't access a dentist appointment.

00:24So as we know, there is a lot of pressure on dentists at the moment and accessing appointments

00:29as a patient can be challenging at times. Do you have any advice on how we can keep

00:34our teeth healthy if we can't get a dentist appointment?

00:37Yeah, it's really tricky at the moment. Everybody's sort of struggling with access or maybe even

00:43being put off because they might not be able to get an appointment to book with the dentist.

00:48So prevention, we always say is better than cure. So establishing that oral health routine

00:54is really, really important. So brushing twice a day with your toothbrush and a good

01:01quality fluoride toothpaste is really important. But brushing alone only covers about 60% of

01:07our tooth surface. Our teeth are made up of five sides. So using something like dental

01:11floss or an interdental brush is really, really important to reach the other 40% of our teeth

01:18that traditional tooth brushing misses. You could use a tongue cleaner, which is really

01:21important. So you may have seen things like this. I think they're doing the rounds on

01:25social media at the moment. Everyone seems to be all over that. And that will just help

01:29remove the bacteria that can build upon our tongue as well.

01:33Staying hydrated. I mean, we all talk about drinking lots of water throughout the day,

01:38but that's actually really important for washing away food particles and keeping our mouth

01:43hydrated. A dry environment in our mouth can lead to growth of bacteria, which can lead

01:49to gum disease and bad breath. Nobody wants that. But unfortunately, one in five people

01:57actually suffer with dry mouth. So if you're a person that's going through menopause or

02:02someone that is on lots of medications for various different issues, a dry mouth can

02:08be quite uncomfortable. So using something like the TP hydrating mouthwash is really,

02:15really useful to help alleviate that discomfort. It's also high in fluoride, so you get that

02:21fluoride protection like you would do with your toothpaste.

02:24Another quite shocking statistic. It was in 2023, YouGov poll suggested people are resorting

02:29to DIY dental work. Could you explain some of the dangers of carrying out your own dental work?

02:36Yeah, and I can completely understand if you've ever had dental pain, it's very distracting

02:41and it's one of the worst pains that it can be. And, you know, wanting to take things

02:48into your own hands and looking for a quick fix can be really quite appealing for lots

02:54of people. So they may go online or go and buy something over the counter. But I would

02:59urge sort of people to just try and obviously consult their dental professional as quickly

03:05as possible. So, you know, rather than sitting on these things, oh, it will just go away

03:09or if I just do this, then actually consulting your dental professional earlier will actually

03:14stop that issue from getting any worse. Try not to be tempted by the DIY dental kits that

03:21you may see in the shops or online. It's highly unregulated and so we don't know. It can actually

03:28make things a lot worse. So really sort of stay away from them as best as possible and

03:34just try and get into a dental professional. But if you can't get a dental appointment,

03:38NHS 111 services are always there. They can provide advice, whether that's pain relief

03:45or then signpost you to the right professional to get help.