Son pulls Dad’s tooth

Tevita Mahe, right, says dental care is too expensive in New Zealand. He asked his son Henry to remove his tooth with a pair of pliers because he could not afford to see a dentist.

Tevita Mahe of Glen Innes works fulltime to support his family but says he can’t afford anything more than $60 on dental care.

He queued at Middlemore Hospital’s emergency dental clinic for three hours from 5am on April 25 for an appointment but just missed out on the daily quota of 10 patients. He was 12th in line.

He was then turned away from the Southern Cross Campus in Mangere because the service was fully booked for the week.

“I needed to go back to work. I had already taken two days off and that already cost me $120 a day in wages. I have a disabled daughter to look after too so I didn’t know what else to do.

“I came home and asked my son to take out my tooth. He said to me, `Are you ready Dad?’ I kept saying, `Wait, wait’, then I took a drink of bourbon and he pulled it out.”

Mr Mahe says he knows of a number of people who do their own dental work to avoid a hefty bill.

Auckland District Health Board director of oral health Clive Ross says there is a better way.

“ADHB runs the regional Relief of Pain clinics located at Middlemore Hospital, Southern Cross Buckland Road and Greenlane Clinical Centre. These offer emergency treatment for tooth pain on a drop-in basis, and treatment for medically compromised people such as cancer or renal patients.”

Cases are prioritised so that children and those who have the most serious need are seen first. If a patient cannot be seen they are advised to return the next day. The cost of removing a tooth is $40.

“The Relief of Pain clinics are a last resort for those unable to access early treatment. They provide emergency services for the relief of pain, and do not provide routine care. All dentists will discuss the treatment required, costs and ways to pay before proceeding with any work so people can anticipate the cost and spread it out where possible,” Mr Ross says.

The Government spends $216 million annually on oral health care and has recently invested a further $116m on infrastructure in Community Dental Service.

Health Ministry chief dental officer Robyn Haisman-Welsh says district health boards must look into ways they can trial providing a lower cost oral health service to vulnerable and low-income adults.

“These trials will investigate whether potential capacity from the Government’s investment in Community Oral Health Services can be harnessed to provide dental care for vulnerable and low-income adult groups and are expected to start later this year. It is important to note these trials are not a change in current policy, but to consider whether the increased investment by government in the Community Oral Health Service could provide new treatment opportunities for vulnerable and low income adults.”

Low-income adults with an urgent oral health problem, who cannot afford to see their dentist, should contact their hospital dental outpatient services to find out what is offered, she says