Fay, of Telford, Shropshire, uploaded a stomach-churning video of herself trying to pull the tooth out.

She had the tooth got rid of at Smile Works Dental in Malinslee, Shropshire, on 13 May and also claims that the delays in getting emergency situation appointments are triggering individuals to suffer in silence.

David Cottam, chair of Practitioners Committee of the British Dental Association, claimed the system under lockdown was working far better than it was but treatment at hubs was really, very limited and suggested some teeth were taken out instead than conserved.

As a result, Fay resorted to painful DIY dentistry after a filling came out, exposing the nerve in her lower molar which was split in half.

Fay, of Telford, Shropshire, posted a stomach-churning video of herself trying to yank the tooth out.

She said: “The pain for me was worse than childbirth. I have never experienced pain like it, it was searing through the side of my face.

“It was just awful. Id posted an appeal on Facebook begging for help and advice after I was unable to get a dental appointment.

“I realised that the only way would be to pull out my own tooth. It was agonising and I only managed to make it wobbly before I had to stop.”

Fay woke up in agony after a filling came out on 5 May revealing her tooth had split in two. She rang her local dental surgery, which had suspended routine services following the lockdown on 25 March and referred her to another practice.

Fay, who works with children with special needs, was offered antibiotics – which she took, but the pain continued to get worse.

On 11 May, she took matters into her own hands and tried to wrench the tooth out herself. The day after, she finally got an emergency appointment at an Urgent Dental Care hub (UDC).

She had the tooth removed at Smile Works Dental in Malinslee, Shropshire, on 13 May and claims that the delays in getting emergency appointments are causing people to suffer in silence.

The married mum said: “When I finally got an emergency appointment I was in and out in ten minutes. After they extracted my tooth the relief was immediate. The tooth had split right up to the top and was still attached to the gum.

“If Id pulled it out myself I would have only released half of it and would have been in a worse situation. Because Id had injections to remove the tooth it was just the relief of it being done at the time.

“Im a different person now. I was climbing the walls before I had it done. I was beside myself.”

David Cottam, chair of Practitioners Committee of the British Dental Association, said the system under lockdown was working better than it was but treatment at hubs was very, very limited and meant some teeth were taken out rather than saved.