A Suffolk man who spent more than a decade trying to see a dentist without success is relieved that he finally has an appointment early next year.
Jeremy Burchell found himself struck off his dentist's list back in 2008 when the dental appointments clashed with hospital appointments and has been "trying to get a dentist ever since then".
Now, 13 years later and with several teeth fewer than he had before, Jeremy, of Walberswick, is looking at getting dentures in January.
Back in 2008 he had several trips to the doctors and was diagnosed with diverticulitis.
Despite phoning to let his dentist know he wouldn't be attending due to the appointments, when he tried to rebook he found he had been struck off the list due missing two appointments in a row.
Jeremy said: "That left me without a dentist from 2008 till now.
"I've only got one front tooth left and a lot of the others are gone, the bottom row don't seem to be to bad.
"I'm just glad that we wear masks when we go out otherwise I would frighten the children."
His teeth were perfectly fine beforehand and believes none of this would have happened if he hadn't been dropped from his original dentist.
He applied for dentists across the county, but says the only reply he gets is "I'm sorry, we're full"
He added: "It's got nothing to do with me not trying to get a dentist, far from it. I've been trying to get a dentist ever since then."
During his search for a new dentist Jeremy says he had many teeth fall out: "I've swallowed them before now, in fact I was in such a state at one stage I had to go into the shed and grab a pair of pliers and the tooth out myself.
"The only pleasure I got out of that was going back inside and swilling my mouth out with a large whiskey.
"I've always looked after my choppers, or I could say chopper now. I can laugh at it now to an extent because I know I've got a dentist now, but the last thing I wanted was dentures."
Dentistry in Suffolk
There has been a reported lack of dentists in Suffolk, with vacancies remaining unfilled for more than two years in Suffolk.
More than 200 people took part in a protest in Bury St Edmunds in October over ongoing concerns about dental provision in Suffolk.
East Suffolk Council also wrote to the Department of Health and Social Care outlining the district’s concerns about dentistry.
While Dr Ed Garratt, from the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), said he was "pretty ashamed" of the dentistry provision.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here