Sir, on a recent bank holiday I was telephoned by a lady whose temporary bridge at the front of her mouth had come off and was causing acute sensitivity to one of the abutment teeth. She was going on holiday the next day and was desperate to be seen. She told me that she was mid-implant treatment with a private dentist her own dentist had referred her to. However, when she rang the implant dentist he was away on holiday and suggested to her she got someone else to recement the bridge back on and prescribe some antibiotics. Unable to see him she rang her usual dentist who was also unavailable. She then rang NHS Direct who referred her to an emergency clinic, some 30 miles from her home where there was a Saturday emergency clinic. Unfortunately on her way there the motorway was blocked by an accident. She had rung the clinic to see if they would wait for her ten minutes beyond their closing time but they would not. Having then found herself miles from home her son looked up dentists in the area; he gave her our number as we provide a 24 hour, seven day emergency number for our own patients. I saw her, dealt with her problem and, needless to say, she was very grateful.

I understand the difficulties of an NHS emergency service but both private and NHS dentists should have a duty of care for their patients; lack of emergency care is unacceptable. What is the point of learning how to treat an avulsed tooth, for example, if it has to happen between 9-5 Monday to Friday? Time will run out to reimplant and treat appropriately if it takes all morning to find a dentist!

As a first year undergraduate one of our lecturers told us that if we didn't care about people we may as well leave now. We are lucky to have a fantastic profession that pays well, has zero unemployment with great career opportunities and is very rewarding; surely we have to expect to put ourselves out a little from time to time. At our practice we hardly ever get called out but if someone is in trouble with their teeth I believe it is our duty to be available or have made arrangements for some adequate cover.