Dentists in Waveney have backed calls for the government to take action over a “growing crisis”.
With some people being told they have to wait until 2024 for appointments, and others being removed from their practice lists for not making appointments sooner, numerous concerns have been raised.
An adjournment debate on NHS Dentistry in the area this week, led by Waveney MP Peter Aldous, called on the government to provide dentists with the resources to tackle the backlog and to end the cycle of retirements leading to funds being removed from the area.
During the debate, Mr Aldous said he was receiving “10 emails a week from constituents, many of whom are in agony,” looking for an NHS dentist.
Highlighting Community Dental Services (CDS), which opened a new dental clinic in the old magistrates court in Lowestoft last October, Mr Aldous said CDS is concerned “about the lack of access to NHS dental services.”
Neil Carmichael, chairman of the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) – a trade association representing dental providers – urged the government to take action to stop Waveney and Norfolk becoming a “dental desert”.