"Unacceptable waiting time for dental care"

I took a letter from our dentist to the above dept and enquired about length of waiting list. I explained that my husband was on his 3rd course of antibiotics and needed strong painkillers as he had an impacted wisdom tooth which had developed a cyst.

I was told there would approximately 8 weeks wait before an initial consultation and probably a further 8 weeks before treatment. I explained that he had a swollen face but this obviously makes no difference. The receptionist was as helpful as she could be under the circumstances.

A dental nurse looked at the accompanying x-ray and said that she didn't see my husbands situation as any more of an emergency than all the others on the waiting list and that the consultant would be the one who would make the decision. I obviously understand that but I felt the tone was very dismissive.

My main concern is that my husband's condition is acute and in need of emergency treatment and there seems to be no system to deal with such emergencies. It is outrageous to expect anyone suffering is such a way to wait 16 weeks for treatment. There is a limit to the amount of antibiotics and strong painkillers one can take.

It is going to cost us almost £2,000.00 to have the tooth removed privately and I am tempted to send the bill to South Staffs PCT for reimbursement.