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MPs squirm at tale of constituent who tried to pull his own tooth out because of NHS waiting times

01:38

MP says constituent ‘tried to pull own tooth out with pliers’ due to NHS waiting times

Wes Streeting told fellow MPs in the House of Commons that a constituent “tried to pull his own tooth out with pliers” because he couldn’t get an appointment with an NHS dentist.

The shadow health secretary also slammed the Conservative government for “blaming patients” over a “broken system”.

“He wrote in an email, and I quote: ‘I’m in such agony that I took ibuprofen, drank whisky and tried to pull it out myself with pliers, but they kept slipping off,’” Mr Streeting said, sharing the constituent’s tale.

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