New Zealand residents pulling their own teeth after dental waiting list grows

While there is much discussion about how often we should or should not be going to the dentist, there are some parts of the world where we are reminded that sometimes that choice is out of the hands of the patient.

In New Zealand, Northland residents are pulling out their own teeth with pliers because they can’t afford to go to the dentist.

One person in the region is also admitted to intensive care every fortnight due to poor oral health.

Auckland company SmileCare set up a free pop-up clinic in Kaikohe that relieved hundreds of their suffering, but it’s just gone into receivership.

For local Libby Hita, it’s devastating news because, like hundreds in the town, her teeth are causing her excruciating pain.

“I have done it [pulled out my own teeth],” she told The Hui. “About four times”.

Kaikohe hasn’t had a dentist for 18 months.

Read the rest of the article about this horrific situation here.

Note: Photo of “Mountain Bike Moke Circuit, Queenstown, New Zealand” by TRAILSOURCE.COM is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Dawn Patrick

Dawn Patrick

Dawn has 30+ years of dental experience spanning all facets of dentistry including pediatric, cosmetic, complete health, and sleep. During her career, Dawn enjoyed 25 years in practice management including marketing, team training, and consulting. She joined IgniteDDS in June 2022 as Director of Operations. Dawn enjoys working directly with teams and customers to create a win-win. She is passionate about creating systems and processes that allow teams to excel. In her spare time, Dawn enjoys time with family, her two Goldendoodles, and traveling with her husband, Jon.