Glasgow dental waiting lists are ‘forcing people into debt’

Councillor Robert Mooney claims people across the city are experiencing lengthy waits due to NHS patients requiring prior approval from National Services Scotland for work that costs more than £600.

He says that he has been contacted by constituents who feel they are being left with little alternative but to plunge themselves into debt to fund costly private dental treatment.

Mr Mooney, from Cardonald, told the Glasgow Times: “It’s just another form of back door privatisation. People are coming to me saying they have no option but to go private. People I have spoken to say they are often told it could be months before they are seen.

Cllr Robert Mooney (Image: Newsquest)

“It’s hard enough to get registered with an NHS dentist, but if you do and your treatment is likely to break the £600 barrier, then that dentist must get prior approval before the work can go ahead. It’s unacceptable.”

The politician says the blame doesn’t lie with the dentists, but the those holding the purse-strings.

He added: “It’s not the fault of the practitioners, who all do amazing work, but the rules mean they are limited in what they can carry out until the treatment costs are given the green light by the NHS. Anything deemed cosmetic, such as a dental plate or crown replacement, is costly so your option is to wait it out while missing teeth or pay hundreds or thousands to go private and get it sorted quickly.

“It’s hitting those on the breadline the hardest. Nobody wants to walk around with front teeth missing, so they are putting themselves into hardship. It’s not good enough, we should be doing better than this.

“Of course, because it takes so long to get the go ahead to work on an NHS patient, many practices are just deciding to only treat people privately, which also limits where those requiring NHS dental treatment can go.”

The dental crisis has also sparked a trebling in calls to NHS 24 about toothache and other oral problems. A lack of available appointments has seen calls to the 24-hour emergency advice service rise from 25,509 in 2019 to 67,189 in 2023.

Meanwhile, waiting lists for oral surgery around the city have also grown.

There are worries thousands more NHS patients could be left without a dentist as practices continue to pursue more profitable private work. 

With almost 82 per cent of NHS dentists in Scotland no longer taking on new patients, and 83 per cent saying they'll reduce their NHS list, the crisis is set to worsen. The figures also showed almost half of those registered have not seen an NHS dentist in the past two years.

Mr Mooney, who is also visually impaired, revealed he was one of those left facing a wait for urgent dental treatment.

He told the Glasgow Times: “My front tooth is crumbling and I was told that it would take around 10 months to be seen at a specialist clinic, or I could pay £2,000 and be seen within a few weeks.

"My dentist is fantastic, but the delays in getting funding and subsequent waiting lists need to be addressed. People may have saved a few bob over the years and they are having to part with it to expedite treatment, and even then most don’t have that kind of money spare amid a cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s become a really difficult situation for those who need work done but must wait until it’s given the green light.”

In Scotland dental care is free for to everyone under the age of 26, those who are claiming certain benefits and those who are pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months.

Increases to charges however were introduced by the Scottish Government last November, meaning that some NHS patients pay for 80 per cent of their treatment.

Procedures which are considered cosmetic or aesthetic in nature are only available privately, such as white fillings, tooth-whitening or dental implants.

Rachael Davis is another Glaswegian who knows first-hand how long the wait for NHS dental work can be.

Rachael Davis (Image: Colin Mearns)

The 18-yer-old told us how she faced a wait of over two years for orthodontic care.

The apprentice electrician from Milton said: “I understand how people feel about the hold ups. In my case the funding approval, as well as a backlog caused by the pandemic, delayed the fitting of my braces.

Rachael Davis faced a long wait for braces (Image: Colin Mearns)

“I was told that I needed orthodontic treatment, then everything just kept being pushed back. I’m now in a position where I’m still wearing braces at 18 that should have been taken out by now. I understand exactly how frustrating it can be for people on waiting lists.”

Martin Bell, Director of Primary Care & Counter Fraud Services at NHS National Services Scotland, says that waiting times have been greatly reduced and that anomalies will be properly investigated.

He said: “It is important to clarify that prior approval is based solely on the monetary value of treatment plans.

“Turnaround times for prior approval have significantly improved, with orthodontic cases taking 20 working days and general cases taking five working days.

“The reported wait time of two years for braces does not align with our current processing times, however, we are committed to investigating such cases to ensure timely access to treatments. Patients facing extended waits should contact their local NHS board for assistance.

“We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of patient care and will continue working to streamline the prior approval process for the benefit of all NHS dental patients.”