Like many young people, I have no hope of finding an NHS dentist – and this is only deepening class divisions
- This article won the 16-18 age category of the Guardian Foundation’s 2024 Hugo Young award, which champions political opinion writing
When I was 12 my childhood dentist went private. It was 2018 and I’d just had a consultation with my orthodontist, and had been told I would need at least two teeth removed before my braces could be fitted. My options were: pay (a minimum of) £55 for each tooth extraction, or find a new dentist on the NHS. By pure luck, I was accepted at a different practice. I had my teeth out, then one routine exam, before I received a letter saying that my new dentist had also gone private and I would have to start paying for treatment. I haven’t seen a dentist since.
As of 2024, no practices in Cornwall, where I live, are taking on new NHS patients above the age of 18. With lengthy NHS waiting lists and my 18th birthday rapidly approaching, it’s unlikely that I will ever see an NHS dentist again, unless some serious reform occurs. I’m not alone: thousands of patients in Cornwall are increasingly losing hope of seeing a dentist.
Beth Riding is an A-level student in Cornwall
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