A WELLINGTON resident who claims she “can’t smile” is desperate for urgent dental help amid ongoing oral health issues which have plagued her since childhood.
Ria, who has asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, has spoken about her experience and how she is stuck in a local “dental desert” and unable to afford private care.
Over the years she has suffered from a range of issues including temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain) and bruxism (teeth grinding).
Ria was most recently diagnosed with pulpitis and pulp necrosis, which is the inflammation and death of the soft tissue inside a tooth.
Now, aged 42, she is calling on her local MP Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat, Taunton and Wellington) and the wider community in supporting her in her quest to find the medical care she so urgently needs.
Ria said: “I have literally no life. I can't smile, I won't have my picture taken and I don't really leave the house.
“I need help now. It's not humane at all to live with this or like this.”
Ria’s dental trouble began in Bristol where she was born and lived for most of her life.
In 2010, Ria was diagnosed with TMJ, neuralgia and bruxism which preceded surgical treatment and steroid injections.
Over the following few years, Ria was diagnosed with fibromyalgia - a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body – but her symptoms worsened with constant shooting pain across her face.
She was prescribed pain relief medication and steroids but it wasn’t until early 2021 that Ria was finally diagnosed with pulpitis and pulp necrosis. After an urgent referral, she had six teeth removed.
In October 2023, she underwent a complicated tooth removal, which then required four further OF emergency appointments to resolve. Two months later, she needed further surgery to remove remaining shards of bone that had lodged in her gums.
At this point, during the Covid 19 pandemic, Ria’s treatment journey was stalled and she hasn’t seen a dentist since.
She said: “My self-esteem had plummeted. I hardly left the house and it really affected my social life and my relationship with my partner and my family.”
It was then that Ria moved with her children to Wellington for a fresh start amid complex family issues. But now, she finds herself in a “dental desert” with almost no access to treatment locally.
She said: “I know there are plans for a new NHS dentist in Wellington but there’s no date.”
Mr Amos said: “Ria is one of many who have been let down by the reduction in NHS dentists under the last government.
"Our part of Somerset has been very badly hit as my dental survey, carried out in 2022, first revealed - it’s a real dental desert.
"I’m glad the pressure of local campaigns has helped secure our area a new NHS dental surgery, about to open in Wellington.
"But there’s much more to do and I’m meeting with the British Dental Association again in the next few weeks to plan our next steps “