OH, WHERE ARE THE TOOTH FAIRIES?
A painful, hidden condition that affects most of us at one time or another during our lifetime, toothache has been responsible for sleepless nights at the beginning of life, for both babies and parents.
At school, the discarding of our first baby teeth sets off a painful awakening of the need to keep our teeth spotlessly clean with regular personal care, something at that age we can often forget, while involved in the excitement of childhood.
As time goes on, damage to tooth enamel occurs, resulting in decay and agonising toothache, requiring fillings and, on occasion, extractions. Sometimes, the extractions are unnecessary, but the alternative dental treatment is unaffordable. Losing a tooth, by any method, is preferable to living with constant tooth and gum pain.
When multiple extractions take place, the shape of the face alters, making you look much older than you are. It lowers your feelings of self-worth and changes how other people react to you.
So, I ask again: where are the Tooth Fairies?
Free NHS services for many have been withdrawn, causing misery, time off work, and other conditions triggered by infections from rotting teeth. As seen on the BBC today, in Bristol, the desperate need has generated long queues, waiting for hours in very cold weather, outside a dental practice open for free NHS dental care. This is the tip of the iceberg. We cannot be a country where you are judged rich or poor by the quality of the care, or lack of it, of your teeth.
This problem has an economic bite: will the Government be the Tooth Fairy, prepared to restore this vital service to those in constant pain while being financially distressed?
© 2024 Penny Wobbly of WobblingPen
Photo: Pixabay License
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