'I had to borrow £500 to stop the pain': Suffolk campaigner marks five years fighting for NHS dentists
Toothless in England is holding a rally in Bury St Edmunds today
A Suffolk father who borrowed more than £500 from relatives to pay for emergency dental treatment says access to NHS dentistry remains in crisis five years after he joined a campaign calling for reform.
Darren Turner, from West Suffolk, is one of the organisers behind Toothless in England, which is holding a rally on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday to mark five years since the campaign began.
Mr Turner said he became involved after experiencing difficulties accessing dental care for both himself and his family.
At the time, one of his two sons was unable to secure an NHS dentist locally.
After spending around a year contacting practices, he eventually found a surgery in Sudbury willing to take his son on as an NHS patient.
"He was probably five or six before he first went to the dentist," Mr Turner said.
Although both of his children now have NHS dentists, he said travelling to appointments remains difficult because of the distance involved.
For Mr Turner, the issue became even more personal when he developed an impacted wisdom tooth.
Unable to access NHS treatment, he said he borrowed more than £500 from family members to pay for private care.
"I was able to access private dentistry on a Sunday morning and within two hours of making the phone call to a private dentist in Cambridge, I was in the dentist's chair having the tooth removed, but it cost me over £500, which I had to borrow from my family and pay back," he said.
Mr Turner said the alternative would have been living with severe pain while trying to save enough money for treatment.
"Without my family at the time, I simply would not have been able to have the treatment because I wouldn't have had the money," he said.
"Some of the stories we hear are horrifying."
The campaign, originally launched as Toothless in Suffolk before expanding nationally, says access to NHS dental care remains a major issue despite years of lobbying politicians and health leaders.
Mr Turner said one encounter during a charity dental van event in Bury St Edmunds had stayed with him throughout the campaign.
Arriving early to help set up, he met a man in his 70s waiting outside the venue.
"It turned out that in his early 70s, he had cycled from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds that morning to access treatment," Mr Turner said.
"Some of the stories we hear are horrifying."
The campaign says it has heard accounts from people travelling long distances for treatment, living with severe pain and, in some cases, attempting what campaigners describe as "DIY dentistry" because they could not access professional care.
Mr Turner said: "Some of the stories we hear are horrifying in DIY dentistry and people pulling their own teeth."
The campaign groups ambition
Campaigners are using Saturday's event to highlight what they say are continuing problems with access to NHS dentistry and to encourage people to share their experiences.
The group is also promoting a six-point charter, including calls for universal access to NHS dentists, reform of the NHS dental contract and increased investment in services.
Mr Turner said campaigners had met ministers, MPs and health leaders over the last five years but believed meaningful change had yet to materialise.
"We've had six different health secretaries. They've all listened and they've all made positive noises, but not a single one of them has delivered any kind of change," he said.
The rally takes place on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds between 10am and midday on Saturday.
Campaigners say members of the public are invited to attend and share their experiences of accessing NHS dental care.
Ministers say reforms introduced at the end of last year will expand urgent NHS dental appointments and improve access to treatment for patients with the greatest needs.