A series of public meetings organised by the 'Toothless in Suffolk' campaign begins in Felixstowe today.

The panel of speakers at the Orwell Hotel, starting at 7pm, include Mark Jones, Steve Marsling, and Helen Duncan, an NHS dentist who retired this year.

The public have been faced with ever increasing difficulties in accessing NHS dentistry in Suffolk for years and are now showing signs that they have had enough.

When the last of two NHS dental practices serving Leiston closed its doors for the final time in April this year, Steve Marsling and Mark Jones quickly set up a campaign calling for the immediate reinstatement of dental services in the town.

Communities across Suffolk, including Felixstowe and Bury St Edmunds, have also found themselves struggling to gain access to basic dental care and treatment needs on the NHS. The range of people who have been affected include children, young adults, senior citizens, and pregnant women.

Mark Jones, one of Toothless in Suffolk's campaign co-ordinators, told us, "We are encouraging the public attend these meetings. It is important that we hear their stories. Indeed, people have a genuine desire to share their experiences but often find it difficult to find a way of doing so. We want to provide them that platform.

"Since setting up this campaign, we have been inundated with some of the most horrendous stories you can imagine. When you find yourself needing emergency treatment, for instance, and you are repeatedly being told that there is no availability to treat them on the NHS, you can sometimes end up taking the matter into your own hands, often with dire consequences to your health and wellbeing.

"Wednesday's public meeting will help amplify our call on the government, local councils and the NHS commissioners to step up now and do more to help those in need of immediate dental treatment and long-term care. We are not going away until there is an NHS dentist for everyone."

A meeting in Leiston will follow on Leiston on November 19 at the Leiston Community Centre.