Sarah’s Story
Since moving to London from Ireland six years ago, Sarah has been seriously struggling to find a dentist to support her cleft care.
“I’m really shocked at how bad the situation is in the UK. I’ve seen so many people with bad teeth here. At first I thought, ‘what’s going on?’ until I realised people just can’t get to a dentist.
“Cleft can weaken the tooth enamel, so I really should be having regular check-ups – but the journey puts me off.”
“I contacted so many NHS dentists across southwest London. The only one that took me in is an hour away on the bus and tube, so I’ve only been for one appointment there in the last two years.
“Cleft can weaken the tooth enamel, so I really should be having regular check-ups – but the journey puts me off. It’s important to visit the dentist regularly, especially for someone with cleft.”
Sarah moved to London to build her career in musical theatre. She was born in Dublin with a unilateral cleft lip and palate.
“I had a great cleft dental service in Ireland, but I can’t be going back and forth for appointments. Treatment is free for children there and adults pay for their dentist, but it’s nowhere near as expensive as in the UK.”
Sarah has a dental bridge where she had her cleft palate bone graft surgery. She was referred to the NHS cleft team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital when it needed replacing.
“My first bridge lasted me nearly a decade, but when my teeth moved over the years it needed changing. But then the new one broke this summer. 
“I was eating a sandwich in the airport, coming back from Ireland, when it came loose and was then hanging by a thread. I was really panicking as I thought it was about to fall out – and my retainer was in my suitcase in the hold! I was scared everyone would see me without a tooth, or I would swallow it.
“Luckily, I had an appointment at Guy’s a week later and they glued it back in.
“At Guy’s, they told me I had to have a dentist for regular check-ups and cleaning. The cleft team treatment is not regular dental help; it’s the reconstructive and orthodontics side.
“They said it’s really important with my cleft to have a regular dentist, but finding one near where I live has been so difficult.
“I wrote to so many NHS dentists and explained about my cleft. None of them seemed very sympathetic and most just ignored me.
“It’s incredible really. It’s not an aesthetic issue – we need dentists for our health because we need to eat with our teeth, and speak with our teeth. And even more so with a cleft.”
“It’s incredible really. It’s not an aesthetic issue – we need dentists for our health because we need to eat with our teeth, and speak with our teeth. And even more so with a cleft.”
Sarah said her dentist now has been understanding of her cleft treatment.
“She’s lovely, quite young, and understanding of the financial issues too, but it’s still money I often don’t have to spend.
“Money’s so tight at the moment, so it’s just prioritising things when I can think about dentist bills. The cost is cheaper on the NHS than private, but it still costs, and my cleft makes me more aware of my need for dental care.
“Because we have an added need for dental treatment, an underlying condition, I’ve thought ‘why aren’t we automatically getting a space at a local NHS dentist?’ and why do we have to pay so much for something that isn’t our fault?
“We’re not asking for a cosmetic service, just basic treatment for our teeth that are severely affected by an underlying health condition.”