Dentaid visit hailed a success

A visit by mobile dental charity Dentaid has been hailed a success after dozens of people from the south Suffolk area were treated for a range of teeth issues.

Three dental doctors and three nurses had travelled from as far as Southampton and Halifax, as well as Ipswich, to volunteer their expertise and time for free to treat 40 patients in Hadleigh, with treatment ranging from multiple extractions, to simple oral health advice for children.

All received free oral cancer screening too.

Lucie and Linsey, two of the volunteer nurses (©NubNews)

Organiser Angela Wiltshire described how she had been moved to tears seeing the relief and gratitude of so many people, some that have been suffering in pain for as long as four years as they had been unable to access nHS treatment.

The Dentaid visit is a culmination of almost 10 months of organising and fundraising by Hadleigh town councillor Angela Wiltshire who was looking too get this done even before she was elected.

Any doubts about getting the charity to Hadleigh were swiftly dissipated as the steady stream of patents were treated, some clearly in severe need.

Cllr Wiltshire said: "I got here at 06.45 and there was already a man and his partner, who'd come from quite a distance away but he was absolutely desperate.

"He was the first patient through and it was lovely see him come out the other end so relieved and pain free.

"I have listened to dentists teaching children how to clean their teeth properly. Heard the sounds of massive teeth coming out, which has been incredible to see happening in such a matter of facts way but it makes a huge inference to people.

"I have spoken to people about their visit, they have been tearful, incredibly grateful, it has been very emotional for me to see so many people happy.

"I saw people excited about getting treatment, others more nervous. People have said they will come again.

"It has been amazingly successful, and actually humbling to see so many people get treatment and affected by something which should be on the NHS."

Jill Harding, Dentaid's communications director, was delighted her team were able to help so many people.

She said: "This is our first visit to Hadleigh but we can see the need for us here. It has been real range of people of all ages from the elderly to very young children who had never seen a dentist before.

"There are now 40 people that will sleep tonight without toothache.

"We saw a lady earlier who had been in pain for four years, she left with a smile.

"We have seen people who have been self medicating, not sleeping or eating properly and have been suffering but they have left here now after treatment no longer suffering.

"A large proportion of patients had extractions, others have had fillings and some have been given oral health advice to avoid problems in the future and all have had oral cancer screening.

"We also saw six children who are not registered or have ever been to a dentist and it was good to be able to give them advice on keeping their teeth healthy going forward."

Angela Wiltshire (©NubNews)

Mrs Harding was grateful to Cllr Wiltshire in Hadleigh, and councillors in Haverhill which teamed up with Hadleigh for the charity to visit Suffolk.

She said: "It has been really good we have been extremely busy seeing 40 people with three volunteer doctors three volunteer nurses giving up their time to provide outreach dental care and treatment to the community.

"People like Angela here in Hadleigh have realised that there is a pressing need in the community and accessing dental care is an important issue so they fundraise and make it happen. It was the same in Haverhill with councillors there.

"We are a charity, so every single clinic we run has to be fund-raised for and to be able to do that with people like Angela and others.

"We are very grateful to her and all the others who have brought us here to take people out of the pain they have been suffering."

It is likely the Dentaid clinic will return to Hadleigh next year and Cllr Wiltshire has already started fund raising for return.

Mrs Harding agreed there was a need and added: "There appears to be the demand here so there are conversations to be had.

"We are coming back to this part of the country again early next year. We have seen a lot of grateful people here so we will look at that."

However, Cllr Wiltshire was also angry that there was even a need for Dentaid to visit Hadleigh, as if the town was part of a third world county.

"I have strong feelings about this should not even be happening," said Cllr Wiltshire. "I had a lot of mixed thoughts about organising this because it almost lets the government off the hook.

"There should be moves to ensure dental treatment is available on the NHS across Suffolk.

"There appears to be black hole in Suffolk, which is a relatively rich house prices are astronomical but public services NHS statutory services have been decimated and it is left to a charity that ordinary goes to Africa, so no wonder people are saying we are like a third world country but in a way it is worse than that because austerity is a choice.

"There is money, but it is being diverted elsewhere.

"We know dentist are closing down, not taking on NHS patents, and private dentist with extorniate prices.

"We should be able to access affordable dental treatment, the elder people will say they should be getting this because they have been paying in all their working lives."

Mrs Harding revealed there is a huge demand for Dentaid's services in the UK, after the charity was initially created to serve people in even more deprived areas of the world, especially in remote parts of Africa.

"There is an ever increasing need for our service," said Mrs Harding. "The phone never stops ringing, we get about 30 requests for our service each month.

"This is our first visit to Hadleigh but we can see the need for us here. It has been real range of people of all ages from the elderly to very young children who had never seen a dentist before.

"Most of our work is for people who experience homelessness and other vulnerable and are to reach groups

"Families in poverty, children living in areas of deprivation, cancer patients, refugees and asylum seekers so we have these public access clinics where we come along with big team and offer free emergency

"All the clinics we do have volunteers to provide free dental care. Dentistry is an expensive business, the tools, equipment and materials in these lorries is maintenance cost. There is also a lot of organising and man power needed to get these clinics in place but the results are tangible."

Cllr Wiltshire was quick to praise everyone who had supported her campaign to get Dentaid to Hadleigh, including town businesses AK Services, Plant Parts and Nub News.

She also thanked Simon Lanning from Babergh District Council's communities team, who helped source funding. Also district councillors Kathryn Grandon nd Mick Fraser, Cllr Fraser also dipped into his Suffolk county council budget to give a grant.

Cllr Wiltshire said: "Dentaid were able to twin us with Haverhill which helped keep the costs down by sharing the visit.

"I'm very grateful to friends and neighbours who donated on the Just Giving page. Also to businesses, AK Services and Plant Parts and councillors Kathyrn Grandon and Mick Fraser.

"On top of that, I asked Jet Lounge if they could help out with some snacks for tea breaks etc and without hesitation they sent us tonnes of chocolate treats, we also had Dynasty send us a banquet for 10, all of which went down well with the volunteers.

"Then Lisa at Morrisons sorted sandwiches, when I left it late.

"All this bodes well if, or when, Deantaid come back again."