After suffering serious injuries following a cycling accident, Alex Kerr was stunned to find out that she would have to foot the bill to replace six of her front teeth that had been smashed to bits. The 20-year-old underwent treatment for a broken pelvis, jaw, knee, and wrist, but surgeons told her that replacing teeth counts as cosmetic care and so she would have to pay for that herself, at a cost of around £12,000.
Alex was left in a coma after the accident last November and since she recovered from her injuries she has been facing an anxious wait to find out whether the NHS will approve payment for further restoration. Alex commented to the Daily Mail that she has read about people who have had other cosmetic treatments, such as breast augmentations and nose jobs, paid for by the NHS because of low confidence. She added ‘nobody seems to understand how awful it is to have no front teeth at my age, I didn’t mean this to happen and I didn’t just go to the doctor and say I had a lack of self-confidence and so needed some teeth. I had been in an accident and you would think it would be a priority for them to help me. I don’t want to be keeping my teeth in a glass next to the sink when I’m only 20.’
A spokesman for Northampton General Hospital said that Alex ‘has not been abandoned by the NHS. We saw Alex in out maxillofacial department in January and referred her to our consultant in surgery to assess what can be done for her in the long term from a restorative perspective. Unfortunately there is a waiting list for these appointments but we can assure Alex that the wheels are in motion.’’