A man with severe toothache went to war-torn Ukraine for care after failing to get NHS treatment.
Desperate Richard Howe, 58, tried to book an appointment in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but ended up having his teeth fixed in Kyiv.
He said: “It just shows how much of a mess NHS dental care is right now.”
Richard dodged air raid sirens and anti-tank defences in Kyiv.
He was in agony last month when he got an abscess that led to severe toothache.
But he couldn’t get treatment due to the UK’s dental crisis.
Richard rang dental surgeries in Ely, but they said they were not taking on new NHS patients.
They told him he would have to pay nearly £1,000 for private treatment.
But his dental work and travel bills were less than half of the cost quoted by UK dentists.
Richard said: “I was in loads of pain but I was told there was no chance of me getting an appointment with the NHS.
“So, I got one in Ukraine, straight away, for a fraction of the cost. It just shows how much of a mess NHS dental care is now.”
He travelled 1,500 miles with a flight to Lublin in Poland before a 13-hour train trip to Kyiv, which is regularly hit by Russian rockets.
His return flights cost £127 and he paid £54 for his train trips.
He had his abscess drained and extra work, including three root canals and a filling, for £220.
The ex-motor industry executive lived in the Ukrainian capital for 12 years and owns a house there.
He phoned the Clinic of Modern Dentistry, his old practice, and was told he could be seen immediately.
He had to abide by an 11pm to 5am curfew, adding: “There were anti-tank defences lined across the streets.
“Air sirens went off two to three times a day but the locals are pretty used to it by now, so were quite calm.
“It’s crazy that we’ve invited Ukrainians to take refuge in the UK but if they have a tooth problem, they have zero chance of being
seen by an NHS dentist.
“But over there, anyone can walk in off the street and be seen straight away and the country is a war zone.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are working to improve access to NHS dental care by investing more than £3 billion a year in dentistry for all NHS patients but we know there is more to do.
“There are a range of exemptions to dental patient charges available, for instance for people under 18 or pregnant and there is support also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme.
“The number of dentists practising in the NHS increased by over 500 last year. We recently implemented reforms to provide fairer pay for practices to take on high needs patients also and we will be announcing further measures to improve access soon.”
