‘I drove 100 miles for a filling’: Yorkshire coast residents share stories about lack of access to dental services

Scarborough's dentistry services have faced historic provision issues. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The experiences were shared in an online survey following criticism of how local MP Sir Robert Goodwill recently voted in parliament.

The MP was accused of “failing” to support a Labour motion to “rescue NHS dentistry” last week “despite local patients finding it impossible to see a dentist”.

But the Conservative member of parliament dismissed the criticism, stating that it was “not legislation seeking to reform the NHS dentistry model but an opposition day debate that was drafted to be critical of the Government”.

Sir Robert added that the Government had tabled an amendment that he “voted for and Labour voted against.”

In the online survey, residents shared their frustration over being unable to access local NHS dentistry appointments and in some cases having to drive hundreds of miles for dental services.

One resident said: “I’ve had to go private as my teeth were crumbling and causing me serious problems.”

She added: “It has cost me nearly £2,000 at this point, and the issues addressed would not have been so severe had I been able to get into an NHS dentist sooner.”

Meanwhile, a Whitby resident said they had not been able to get dental appointments locally and “still can only get private cover.”

People living in Eastfield were left without a dentist when a local practice closed in 2022.

However, Health Watch North Yorkshire reported last year that new NHS dental practices had opened in Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, and Tadcaster.

Several respondents to the survey said they were driving long distances, sometimes hundreds of miles, to see a dentist.

One said: “[I] travel a 150-mile round trip to where I used to live to the NHS dentist and have done for seven years.

“Worth it to have a decent dentist who I trust,” they added.

Another resident stated: “I had to take a day off work and drive 100 miles each way just to get a filling done as it had fallen out.”

Also responding to the survey, one person said that their NHS dentist in Scarborough closed down “with no offer of an alternative” and that now they had a dentist in Hull “as nothing’s available in Scarborough after several attempts of trying to register for waiting lists.”

The NHS has been contacted for a comment.