British people can now repair their own teeth with special dental kits. They can fix fillings (cavities in the US) and make other repairs. The kits cost as little as $7. People are buying them because they cannot afford to go to the dentist. A filling in England can cost up to $70. This is ten times higher than the price of the dental kit. One of the biggest selling products sold around 250,000 kits last year. A dental group said one in five people in the UK would do DIY dentistry on their own teeth or the teeth of their family. DIY dentistry includes pulling out a tooth.

 

Britain is famous for its free health service, but this service does not include dental work. DIY dentistry is increasing in Britain because there is a lot of poverty and inequality. The poorest people cannot afford a dentist. A spokeswoman for a local community said: "DIY dentistry is fairly common here….And you've got people taking care of their whole family's teeth." The dental group said many people would rather spend their money on a haircut or a night out than on their teeth. It said some people think visiting the dentist is important and others don't.