Costing her family their health - Emma's story

Emma, 46, struggles to get dental care for her 11-year-old daughter Chloe. 

No NHS services are available in her local area of Somerset, and Emma and her family can’t afford private treatment for their children.

Emma tried ringing NHS 111 for help, but they told her to call a dentist. So she rang the dentist, but they asked her to call NHS 111.

Before January 2023, Emma was able to book appointments for her daughter. But, she explained, they kept getting cancelled and rebooked. Then, in January 2023, they got a letter from the practice saying they'd no longer be offering NHS appointments at all.

Making impossible choices

Emma’s family are living off one income. She and her husband have access to private dental care (through his job). But their children don’t qualify for this service, and when her husband leaves his job, they’ll also lose these benefits. 

“I have not been able to get my daughter in to see a dentist for four years,” Emma explained. “Her adult teeth are growing in, but her milk teeth haven’t come out yet. She has gum problems too and she’s in pain.”

On top of this, Emma’s oldest child, who is autistic and has ADHD, can't access after-school care because of his disabilities. “We have to pay to support him, or not work in order to take care of him,” she explained. 

Her old dentist offers a payment plan for private care – but at £12 per month for her two children, and as much as £60 more just to make an appointment, dental care for their children is beyond reach. 

“It’s very hard to make ends meet and just get through to end of the month,” she explained. “My husband and I try to keep our children as healthy as we can, but that means the two of us can’t afford to eat as well as we used to.”