I nearly resorted to DIY dentistry because of Covid. Thank goodness I called the surgery instead – Hayley Matthews

I'm sitting writing this with half a tube of Anbesol in my mouth (not to be confused with Anusol – no, that would be terrible).
Hayley Matthews was in so much pain she was considering drastic action, like out-of-work labourer Chris Savage who removed two of his teeth with a mole grip during the lockdown, until she discovered her dentist was happy to help her (Picture: Habibur Rahman)Hayley Matthews was in so much pain she was considering drastic action, like out-of-work labourer Chris Savage who removed two of his teeth with a mole grip during the lockdown, until she discovered her dentist was happy to help her (Picture: Habibur Rahman)
Hayley Matthews was in so much pain she was considering drastic action, like out-of-work labourer Chris Savage who removed two of his teeth with a mole grip during the lockdown, until she discovered her dentist was happy to help her (Picture: Habibur Rahman)

It's teething gel and it's to numb my mouth because the co-codamol and ibuprofen aren't even touching the sides. I had a leaking filling back in January, then the lockdown hit, the tooth cracked and now I'm in a lot of pain.

It's been a slow decline but I'm at the point when I can take no more and before I do a Tom Hanks from the movie "Castaway" (google Tom Hanks knocks his tooth out), I decided to call the dentist.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They'd recently sent a letter to say they were taking some emergency appointments but I'd been holding off. Not cause I'm scared, I've just heard the dentists can be a bit different in these times and not the most pleasant.

Read More
Covid-19 backlog will cause 'real problems' for dentists, warns Royal College of...

However, when I called the dentist to beg for an appointment they were great and the dentist called me saying “yep sounds like things have gotten much worse with your tooth, and sounds like it's very painful so let's get you in".

Ah the relief! I got an email with a patient journey video which explained everything and seemed straightforward. I'll get my temperature taken and have to put my things in a bag, but to be honest, the video really put me at ease.

So if you're sitting in agony, not knowing what to expect at the dentist, I genuinely think it should be fairly straightforward, apart from some extra PPE, so call the dentist and turn that upside-down smile the right way up.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.