Five YEARS to see a dentist

Dad in agony finally gets help.. on bus touring areas hit by tooth care crisis

- JEREMY ARMSTRONG

A DAD told how he waited five years to see a dentist, after finally getting help in a mobile clinic touring areas worst hit by the treatment crisis.

Mark Thompson said a lack of NHS practices and soaring costs have left him unable to access vital tooth care.

The 43-year-old was one of more than 100 people on a waiting list for free checks and care in the charity clinic that travelled around Newcastle yesterday.

It treats adults and children in desperate need and often in agony.

Mark, of nearby Wallsend, North Tyneside, has had weeks of sleepless nights due to severe toothache.

After his care at Byker, he said: "They had to take the roots of a couple of teeth out. But it is a relief to escape the pain.