A 50-year-old man from the UK has been removing his own teeth for 15 years because he can't get an appointment at the British National Health Service. David Sergeant from Leeds decided to take this step out of frustration because he said that there was "nowhere that will take me."
Mr Sergeant shared with Wales Online how he goes about his self-extractions. He shared that he drinks some beer and takes painkillers to numb the pain.
He told the publication, "I wait until the tooth is loose and then loosen it and loosen it and loosen it and pull it out myself. I have used plyers in the past, like big ones, but most of the time I just use my fingers."
"I have a couple of beers and fill myself up with ibuprofen and out it comes. The next morning there's a bit of blood. It doesn't feel very good. At the end of the day, I'm having to pull my own teeth out when I should have somebody looking after me," Mr Sergeant shared.
The former butcher by profession lost faith in the system. He suffered from a toothache for many years and then decided to take to pull out his own teeth.
He also struggles with mental health problems, he receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and has found it difficult to make the ends meet.
Addressing Mr Sergeant's concern, NHS told Wales Online, "Anyone with concerns about their dental health should contact a local dentist practice as they usually would, or seek advice from NHS 111."
NHS further said that measures have been implemented that will allow practices to accept more patients.
