Your Voice, Your Vote: NHS dentistry ‘top priority’ for general election

Billy Crotty, 42, from Wimpole in Cambridgeshire, previously knocked a tooth out and said his mouth was in a bad state as he did not have an NHS dentist.

The tree surgeon, who now travelled abroad to see a dentist in Bulgaria every two years, said it was considerably cheaper than paying private prices in England.

“I paid around £80 for a root canal treatment compared to £1,200 in this country,” he said.

“I also had three implants which were £500 compared to £2,000 each here.”

He said he was so pleased with the work, which stopped his pain, that his wife was joining him next time.

“I feel it takes the strain off the NHS in this country,” he added.

“Going private helps and travelling abroad is a good solution. I think by going to Bulgaria it saves having to take their workforce.”

Mr Crotty believed the government after the election would find it difficult to get dentists to work in the NHS, for less money and more stress.

“I think one of the solutions might be to train people and pay for their university fees, then perhaps they could be contracted to work for the NHS for a couple of years,” he suggested.