A Brit in “excruciating” pain resorted to yanking out his own tooth using weights and vodka after failing to get an NHS dentist.
James Stewart, 65, said he was left suffering in agony with no quick access to treatment – forcing him to take drastic action at home.
The Glaswegian, who works two jobs, claims he simply couldn’t afford to go private and feared waiting weeks for NHS care.
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In a shocking DIY attempt, he tied a weight to the tooth and pulled it out himself.
His jaw-dropping ordeal has since gone viral, racking up more than 820,000 views and 18,000 likes online.
And it comes as access to NHS dentistry hits a breaking point across the UK.
“I was experiencing an excruciating toothache, and my regular dentist had changed to private practice,” James, who has over 323,900 followers, told Need To Know.
“I would’ve had to register with a new dentist and I couldn’t wait that long.
“I presumed it would take weeks, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
Recent figures from the British Dental Association show that around nine in 10 NHS practices are not accepting new adult patients.
Data from Healthwatch England has also revealed that millions of Brits are struggling to access NHS dental care, with some forced to travel hundreds of miles or face waits of months.
In some areas, patients have reported waiting over a year for routine treatment – while others cannot register with an NHS dentist at all.
The crisis has sparked fears more people could resort to desperate measures.
James, a dad-of-one, carried out the painful procedure at his home in Glasgow’s south side.
He said: “I was in agony so my plan was to drop the weight from the first floor.
“But I had visions of my head rolling down the back garden as I’m accident-prone.
“So I stood on a chair and dropped the weight.
“Two seconds of pain then relief – no more agony.”
After pulling the tooth, he turned to alcohol to clean the wound.
He said: “I rinsed with Absolut Vodka, killing any chance of infection.”
The clip has since spread rapidly online – but James has warned others not to copy him.
He said: “If anyone is thinking of doing the same and film it for TikTok, heads up it will be disqualified from the creator programme as they have decided it’s too graphic and disturbing.”
James said that the money he saved went towards something deeply personal.
He added: “My wee dog just died so the money I saved paid for his send off to the rainbow bridge.”
Social media users were left stunned by James’ extreme solution.
One person said: “I am an NHS dentist in London, my practice has so much free space for NHS.
“This would have been around £76 to sort.
“We NEED NHS patients, so please come even if it’s a journey!”
Another person said: “It’s INSANE that we had to come to this!!
“I do understand why you did this, but something needs to change in the world – we cant live like this.”
One user said: “The NHS is so broken! Sorry you have had to do that!”
One person wrote: “Dry socket incoming.”
And another person added: “An NHS extraction is £75, including x rays, diagnostics and any additional treatment like root canals or fillings.
“Just FYI.”
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