Man fixed loose tooth with glue

Mr Cook read that super glue was invented for medical use

A man has been fixing his front tooth with superglue every two months because he could not find an NHS dentist.

Gordon Cook, 55, of Tranmere, Wirral, Merseyside, has been gluing his loose crown for the past three years.

The father-of-seven was erased from his original dentist's register after moving house.

"I tried to find a new dentist but they had all gone private," he said. "In the end, I just decided to take matters into my own hands."

"A lot of them said they would take me on as an NHS patient, but only if I agreed to have the loose crown fixed as a private patient, which would cost around £100.

You do have to be careful not to use too much, in case you glue your mouth shut Gordon Cook

Mr Cook added: "I had read somewhere that super glue was invented for medical use, to bond skin, so I gave it a go.

"You can't really taste it but you do have to be careful not to use too much, in case you glue your mouth shut."

Mr Cook, who is a security manager, has now found an NHS dentist and hopes to have the crown fixed professionally.

Cllr Chris Blakeley, chairman of Wirral Council's social care and health overview and scrutiny committee, said: "Mr Cook's solution was rather extreme, but he is not alone when it comes to dentistry horror stories.

"People are finding it extremely difficult to find an NHS dentist, and we are currently gathering evidence to assess the scale of the problem, which is not unique to this area."