A pensioner who couldn’t get an emergency dentist appointment for over a MONTH was forced to pull out his own tooth – with a pair of PLIERS.
Desperate Angus Macintyre, 73, was forced to turn DIY dentist after he was turned away from both NHS and private clinics.
The retired teacher had been suffering in agony for three months but heavy pain killers for arthritis had kept the pain at bay until it eventually became unbearable.
Last month Angus went to one NHS dental centre and contacted several private clinics in Leominster, Herefordshire, but was told he would have to wait to have the tooth removed.
The former soldier pleaded with staff to extract the stricken molar – as he feared blood-thinning drugs he was on could cause complications if it became infected.
Frustrated, Angus resorted to the DIY method on Monday and managed to pluck the tooth out in just 30 seconds.
He said: “The pain had been containable for a while due to the strong pain killers, but after a while it became too much for the drugs to control.
“I went to the local NHS centre and was told I didn’t need an appointment after five – but that they didn’t perform extractions after that time either.
“My wife phoned several private dentists but they couldn’t fit us in or told us they weren’t licensed to perform extractions.
“I followed every avenue I could.
“I got so fed up that I decided to do it myself with a pair of pliers I bought recently.
“It was just a few moves inwards, then outwards, a few little cracks and clicks and then 30 seconds later it was out.
“I had been in excruciating pain but once the tooth was out I felt like I was floating to the ground on a parachute of euphoria.
“The thing is I’ve had teeth removed before at last minute – 35 years ago a young dentist abandoned his Easter lunch to come and see me.
“I just want people to be able to get information on where they can go to get these procedures done.”
Incredibly, Angus headed back to the clinic to have the wound checked over but was told he would have to wait four hours to be seen.
He added: “I’d gone with the tooth and my hole to the clinic just to have it checked over and make sure everything was ok.
“But they told me the wait time was about four hours – so I just left.
“There have been no problems since – so I must have made a decent job of it.”
