West Suffolk woman Millie O’Donoughoe praises University of Suffolk’s Ipswich dental hub after ‘changing her life’

Dental issues robbed her of teeth, self-esteem and left her in severe pain, but thanks to a new Ipswich hub, Millie O’Donoughoe has reason to smile again.

The 26-year-old was taken to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds in June last year – and within 24 hours, she was having major surgery.

Millie believed she had an abscess but doctors told her it was a serious eye infection, which had spread to her gums. She had 22 teeth removed.

After reaching out to Nick Timothy, MP for West Suffolk, she was directed to the University of Suffolk’s new dental hub, who provided her with new dentures.

Millie said: “It’s changed my life massively. I don’t know where I’d be without the University of Suffolk. I was at the lowest of the low and they helped bring my confidence back.

“Before and after having my teeth removed, I was in a lot of pain. I thought I had an abscess and it turns out I had an eye infection that had travelled down to my gum, but they caught it just before it could get worse.

“It impacted my life massively. I couldn’t do what I wanted, I couldn’t go out and felt like I couldn’t talk.

“I always thought I’d get judged and was too scared to walk my dog around the block because I thought people would stare at me and my mental health got really bad.

“I felt completely lost.”

The University of Suffolk Dental Community Interest Company (CIC) was officially opened yesterday by the Duke of Gloucester, although it had been operating since last spring.

The £4.7m hub, in the James Hehir building at Ipswich waterfront, offers NHS treatment while also training the next generation of dentists and therapists.

It was opened in a bid to tackle the dental crisis affecting Suffolk, which has been described as a ‘dental desert’.

Yesterday, Ed Garratt, chief executive of Suffolk and North Essex Integrated Care Board, which partnered with the university for the hub, told SuffolkNews dental capacity was so bad that people would check themselves into A&E.

He estimated the CIC would allow for about 18,000 hours of dental provision per year, marking a huge step forward.

Millie said she was taken to Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital following West Suffolk Hospital.

After being referred to the CIC, Millie – who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder – was examined.

The dental team told her she was at risk of losing more teeth due to tooth decay, gum disease and enamel erosion.

Her remaining teeth were cleaned and filled and she was provided with a partial upper and lower denture and still receives check-ups.

Millie said: “I don’t know if I could have waited any longer for treatment. I came here and they did the job.

“I can’t recommend the university’s dental services enough. The job, the interaction, the students, the staff, I’ve had the best experience. They always made me feel comfortable and made me smile.”

Millie was aware that there were many others in Suffolk who were in her shoes.

She urged anyone facing dental issues to ‘never give up’.

“Continue to fight for what you need and go for it,” she added.

“I think the CIC will help a lot. It changed my life and I’m sure it could change the lives of others.”