Data released by NHS England has revealed that over 282,000 people were waiting for oral surgery on the NHS at the end of November 2022, an increase of 87.6 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The waiting times for the surgery, analysed by Hermes London Dental Clinic, have also increased by 96 per cent since January, with patients on average waiting 16.5 weeks to begin treatment.
Across England, the dentistry sector under the NHS is in a severe crisis, with chronic underfunding pressuring dentists who are no longer finding it financially viable to offer NHS treatment options.
With a large number of people waiting, Parneet Sehmi, principal dentist at Hermes London Dental Clinic, wants to draw attention to the severity of long wait times for oral surgery.
Parneet observes, “Since the beginning of last year, a reported 252,915 people have been waiting for oral surgery, a number which has steadily increased month by month. Patients are facing an average wait time of 16 weeks, which can lead to serious consequences for their oral health.”
“When your dentist recommends oral surgery to treat your dental condition, putting off oral surgery generally can mean your condition will worsen until it is dealt with. While a small delay is not a cause for alarm, waiting up to 16 weeks to begin treatment is disconcerting.”
Oral surgery is a specialist area within dentistry and applies to procedures of a surgical nature, including the extraction of teeth or wisdom teeth.
Due to its surgical nature, oral surgery requires additional training in techniques to perform procedures with care, so that patients can use their teeth and mouths again.
With the current NHS crisis, the lack of available dentists able to do the procedure could be one of the reasons why there is a long waiting list.
Parneet continues, “Patients waiting for oral surgery are most likely experiencing unrelenting pain, which could be from impacted wisdom teeth, or a misaligned jaw. Tooth and mouth pain can disrupt every area of your life, affecting social plans, sleeping patterns, and ability to concentrate.”
“Long delays waiting for oral surgery can also cause conditions to worsen, depending on the cause of the issue. For instance, an impacted wisdom tooth left untreated can put a patient at risk of infection.”
Infections can lead to additional complications for patients, such as heightened pain, longer recovery times, or even result in the need for additional appointments.
Parneet continues, ”With long waiting times for the procedure through the NHS, I am predicting that more and more patients will end up requiring emergency dental appointments.
“Dental pain is serious, and early intervention when problems are identified is crucial for patients to have the issue resolved, and have shorter recovery periods.
“Continued delays could result in the oral surgery no longer effectively fixing all the problems, which may lead to further necessary dental work and patients being placed on yet another waiting list.”
Healthcare England’s 2020-2021 annual report identified a 425 per cent increase in people struggling to see an NHS dentist, with access and affordability as two of the main concerns noted. Further issues included patients being provided with medication, but offered no further treatment or being told to treat issues themselves with dental repair kits.
Parneet says, “This is an alarming trend which can end up with patients in much more pain and further damage done to their teeth. Improvements across the board need to be made to ensure that patients are being seen within shorter time periods so that their dental issues are addressed quickly.”
“With the current waiting period, I also would urge that more people should consider private dentistry care for more serious operations, to prevent conditions from worsening and resolve present pains so that you can get back to your daily routine faster.”
While private dentistry has long been viewed as expensive, Healthcare England’s report also noted that when people can get access to dental care on the health service, 61 per cent of people deemed treatment as too expensive.
Parneet continues, “Most private dentists are now offering payment plan systems and special discounts to help people with the fees of their treatments, making it more affordable than perhaps initially believed.”