THE state of dentistry in Darlington and Durham is alarming. Some people have been unable to get an NHS dentist appointment for three years, and the authorities say it will be two years before the backlog is cleared.

This is desperate for the people concerned, and also it is bad news for other pressured public services: one person turned up at A&E at the Memorial hospital needing emergency treatment having yanked out their own tooth.

We are now paying more tax than at any time since the 1940s, and yet a basic and vital service is as bad as this. It cannot just be down to the pandemic.

READ MORE: WAITING THREE YEARS FOR A FILLING

What are we doing to pro-actively end this skills shortage? The lack of nurses, doctors and dentists is a national emergency. We should have a taskforce of enthusers going into schools and calling on youngsters to do their patriotic duty and, rather go off to do a media studies course, train to help people medically. These jobs are not badly paid and are pretty much guaranteed for life.

And, finally, if people who already living in our communities cannot get dental treatment what does that say for all the thousands of people who will soon be moving into the new houses that are doughnutting Darlington – permission to build should only be granted if the developer works with the authorities to provide crucial services such as dentistry.

Being a dental desert is not a good image for a town. Why would a civil servant want to move here if they are going to have to wait three years for a filling?