Suffolk MP Dr Dan Poulter has urged the government to increase the number of NHS dentists as soon as possible after Covid restrictions are lifted.
The Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP asked junior health minister and fellow Suffolk member Jo Churchill what was being done to ease the backlog of dental appointments that had built up over the last year.
Mrs Churchill said that the Department of Health was working with the Chief Dental Officer to try to increase the number of NHS dentists and improve care as soon as possible.
Dr Poulter, a former health minister, said the number of NHS dentists had been increasing in recent years before the pandemic hit - but over the last year people had found it increasingly difficult to get on the list of an NHS practice.
He said: "The government needs to take urgent action over the next six months to ensure there are enough dentists - otherwise people are going to be forced into expensive private treatment because no NHS dentists are available."
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