Britain is struggling in many ways, but one of the issues constituents raise frequently is the difficulty in accessing a dentist. Anyone who has ever nursed a dodgy wisdom tooth or root canal problems know that dental pain is a nightmare to live with. More than that, it is bad news for productivity, too. Having to wait months to have a throbbing tooth removed might be good for paracetamol sales, but it undoubtedly has an impact on how much work a person can get done, and their wider wellbeing.

This government has been frankly negligent in coming up with solutions to the dentistry crisis. They have overseen an exodus of NHS dentists, leaving people who can’t afford to go private unable to get any care at all, some resorting to pulling their own teeth out in desperation. Two thousand dentists are quitting the NHS year on year – ten percent of the workforce – creating a ticking timebomb threatening to make NHS dental care a thing of the past.

An estimated 4 million people can’t access NHS dental care, with parts of the country now described as ‘dentistry deserts’. Government spend on dental practices in England has been cut by over a third over the past decade in real terms. Across Greater Manchester, local Healthwatch organisations recorded a sixfold increase in dental enquiries in a single year. Emergency teeth extractions are now the most common reason for children to go to hospital. What kind of country have we become?

This week, a survey by the British Dentistry Association found that just 3% of dentists have confidence that the Conservative government can sort it out. The poll of 1,104 dentists in England found that an incredible 43% believe the Tory’s no-money dental recovery plan will actually lead to them seeing fewer -not more- NHS patients. 54% said the number of NHS patients they see will remain the same, leaving British patients stuck in the waiting room long-term.

Dentists are rightly demanding properly funded NHS dentistry, an end to the failed contracts forcing dentists out of the NHS, and to rebuild a service with prevention at its heart. Public service by public service, Britain is ready for change, and a government with the energy and strategic answers needed to turn this country around. It’s time to reform NHS dentistry over the long term, so that everyone who needs an NHS dentist can get one.