In the Netherlands there are thousands of people who walk around with a toothache every day, have broken teeth or struggle with inflammation, but have no money to go to the dentist. The National Dentist Day is an initiative that helps these people by treating them for free or at a very reduced rate. One of these practices is Westerhage in Breda, where the dentist voluntarily offers help to those who need it the most.
Aiviset Kock is located on the chair at Tandartsenpraktijk Westerhage in Breda. “I have holes in my teeth and it hurts. Occasionally it is inflamed, but then it goes away again. I then take painkillers,” she says. She has not been to the dentist for more than six years. “I received a message that I could sign up for this day and I did. It is too expensive for me to go to the dentist, that’s why I have waited so long,” she explains. Despite her fear of the dentist – especially for the injections – she has put herself through it. “It must, it’s no different.”
The dentist who helps Aiviset on Saturday is Tanminder Darhan Kaur. “It is so important that there is such a day, because oral care is too expensive for many people. They just can’t afford it. Then there will be increasingly serious problems. What could have been treated easily a few years ago must now be drawn,” says Kaur. “I am happy that I can help today, but it would be nice if dental care were back in the basic health insurance package, so that everyone can afford it.”
“It had become so bad that the tooth really had to get out”
The problem is big. According to the Dentist Day organization, more than 650,000 people do not go to the dentist in the Netherlands for fear of costs. That has major consequences. The dental problems are becoming increasingly serious, which can ultimately lead to more pain and radical treatments, such as pulling teeth. People such as Aiviset and also Soesman from Oosterhout are forced to live with pain for a long time, because they simply cannot bear the costs of care.
Soesman, another patient who is helped at the Westerhage dental practice, has not been to the dentist for three years due to the high costs. “My tooth was inflamed. I walked around with it for three years and it had become so bad that he really had to get out,” she says. For Soesman, the dentist day was a blessing. “It is a huge relief to finally be helped. The costs of a consultation, the photo and the dental hygienist are priceless for me, but today there was a solution.”
“I want to thank all dentists.”
“It would be nice if this didn’t remain a one -off event,” says dentist Darshan Kaur. “Everyone should have access to good oral care, regardless of their financial situation. Today we help, but it remains a problem that must be solved structurally.”
For Aiviset Kock this day was a step towards a better life. “I want to thank all the dentists who do this. It is really a solution for people like me,” she says with a smile while she completes her treatments and leaves the practice relieved. Unfortunately with two molars less in her mouth.
