Nearly 4,000 people have asked for an appointment at a new NHS dental practice.
NHS Somerset and DentistryForYou are opening Wellington Dental Care, a new dental practice located on Lowmoor Industrial Estate.
Wellington was chosen for the new practice as one of the areas of the county where NHS appointments are most needed.
Pauline Jace, from Wellington, said: “It’s ridiculous. When I was a child, people couldn’t afford to go to the dentist, so their teeth just rotted and fell out and that’s what we’re going back to. People just can’t afford it.”
Ms Jace said she has been struggling to get a dentist’s appointment through the NHS.
“I literally rang 21 dentists to try and get the NHS,” Ms Jace said.
She added when the new dentist in Wellington was announced, she tried to sign up, but “couldn’t even get on the website”.
Interest in the new dentistry has been extremely high, and, following local promotion in the Wellington area, 3,984 expressions of interest were received by 18 September.
To ensure patient safety and fairness, DentistryForYou has paused the expression of interest website for now, but the firm hopes to reopen it in due course.
Dr Bernie Marden, chief medical officer at NHS Somerset, said: “We know that this practice on its own will not be able to see everyone or solve all the longstanding issues facing local people, but it is very positive for the town and will help thousands more people access NHS dental care.”
The practice is due to open on a phased basis from mid-October, with a formal opening scheduled for early December.