Helen Bolton from Cornwall who waited 2 YEARS for dentist’s appointment claims she nearly died

A mother-of-three who had to wait two years to see her dentist nearly died after an untreated problem with her tooth triggered a dangerous infection.

Helen Bolton, from Indian Queens, Cornwall, needed 11 and a half hours of live-saving open heart surgery after contracting endocarditis. 

Doctors say the deadly bacteria, which led to sepsis, originated from a tiny cyst on her gum which she found last January.

The 42-year-old claims she had begged 15 times over the course of 2016 to be seen after the mass caused her to worry.

But she had originally signed up to the NHS waiting list for a check-up appointment in January 2015. 

Helen Bolton, from Indian Queens, Cornwall, needed 11 and a half hours of live-saving open heart surgery after contracting endocarditis from a tiny cyst on her gum

Mrs Bolton said: ‘I would never have thought I could have been staring death in the face because of such a minor problem with my tooth. 

‘So many people still have no idea of the links between heart infections and dental problems.

‘Doctors told me I was gravely ill and said I was lucky to have survived that first night. I thought I might not make it, and I wasn’t ready to never see my children again.

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‘I am so angry and frustrated because this was all completely preventable, right from the beginning, yet it nearly cost me my life – and cost the NHS a fortune.

‘All I needed was a dentist’s appointment. A dentist could have drained the abscess or even taken the tooth out – it would have been minor compared to this.’

Mrs Bolton suffers from dilated cardiomyopathy – where her heart size is increased, meaning it cannot pump blood as effectively.

The 42-year-old, who signed up to an NHS waiting list in January 2015 for a dental check-up, claims she had begged 15 times over the course of 2016 to be seen

Three years ago she was fitted with an implanted CRT-D (cardiac resynchonisation therapy) device which paces her heart and provides a defibrillation shock if necessary.

She claims she joined Cornwall’s NHS dentist waiting list in January 2015 – one month after arriving from Portsmouth.

However, she still had not been offered an appointment by the following year when she found the abscess.

She alleges that despite contacting the county’s dental helpline 15 times and even offering to travel that she was unable to receive an appointment.

In November, she developed flu-like symptoms but claims she was just given antibiotics by her GP at the Petroc Group Practice in St Columb Major.

A week later, on December 5, she was rushed to Newquay Minor Injuries Unit by a concerned friend.

From here she was transferred to the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s AE department, where she was diagnosed with endocarditis and sepsis.

Surgeons removed a 3cm by 3cm infected mass which had clogged her heart’s right atrium during an 11 hour operation

She was forced to undergo a complex operation at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, to cut open her sternum.

They removed a 3cm by 3cm infected mass which had clogged her heart’s right atrium. 

Doctors were also forced to remove her life-saving CRT-D device from her shoulder when they discovered the bug had spread up its wires.

But Mrs Bolton, who is recovering in hospital, claims she has still not been given an NHS dentist.

Instead, she had two teeth removed in hospital – leaving her fearing the same problem could return in future.

And she has not been told whether doctors will be able to fit her with a new pacemaker in future.

She added: ‘I knew there was a risk tooth infections can spread to the heart, so when the cyst popped up I knew it was important to get it treated straight away.

Mrs Bolton said: ‘I am so angry and frustrated because this was all completely preventable, right from the beginning, yet it nearly cost me my life’

‘When doctors told me it was the poison from my abscess which had got into my heart I wasn’t surprised.

‘The signs were staring people in the face, but I wasn’t listened to enough to get the care I needed.

WHAT IS ENDOCARDITIS?

Endocarditis is a rare and potentially fatal infection of the inner lining of the heart.

It’s caused by bacteria entering the blood and travelling to the heart. One of the most common routes for this is through the mouth, with teeth and gums both deemed high risk areas.

Without treatment, the infection damages the valves of the heart and disrupts the normal flow of blood through the heart.

This triggers a range of life-threatening complications, such as a heart attack or a stroke.

Even with the highest standard of medical care the risk of dying is around one in five. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital to improve the outlook for the condition.

Source: NHS Choices 

‘The NHS is on its knees, and had preventative measures been taken hundreds of thousands of pounds could have been saved on surgery and removing a perfectly good pacemaker which was keeping my heart well, not to mention the general costs of my care.

‘And because of all this I missed Christmas with my family – my eight-year-old had to wake up on Christmas day without his mum – and I am sad because I can never get that time back.

‘I am grateful to all the doctors and nurses that worked hard on my care but it is hard to accept this was all so preventable.’

A spokesperson for NHS England, which commissions NHS dentistry, said: ‘We do not have any record of a complaint from Ms Bolton, but would of course investigate if one were received.’

Ian Gibson, practice manager of Petroc Group Practice, said: ‘We do treat complaints from our service users seriously and respond appropriately, however as a practice we place great emphasis on the need for strictest confidentiality in respect of our patients and clients.

‘Every patient and client in our care is entitled to the reassurance we will not comment on the particular circumstances of their case or engage in public debate on private matters.

‘It is for these reasons of patient and client confidentiality that we will not comment on the clinical nature of individual cases.’