A Brit was forced to travel to war-torn Ukraine for dental treatment - after he failed to get an appointment with the NHS.<br /><br />Richard Howe, 58, developed an abscess under his tooth last month, which was causing him severe discomfort.<br /><br />He called his local NHS dentist to book an appointment, but was told he'd have to go private to be seen - at considerable cost.<br /><br />So, Richard decided to travel to Kyiv, where he lived before the war, to get the work done at his old dental practice.<br /><br />And it was HALF the price quoted in the UK, including travel costs.<br /><br />Dad-of-three Richard, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, said: "I was in loads of pain, but I was told outright there was no chance of me getting an appointment with the NHS.<br /><br />"So, I got one in Ukraine, straight away, for a fraction of the cost. It just shows how much of a mess NHS dental care is over here right now."<br /><br />Richard, whose wife is Ukrainian, grew frustrated after being fobbed off by his local NHS dentist.<br /><br />The quote to have his abscess removed privately was a minimum of £875, plus a £75 emergency fee.<br /><br />Richard spent 12 years living in Kiev with his wife and family and returned back to the UK a month before Putin's brutal invasion.<br /><br />He still has contacts at the Clinic of Modern Dentistry, the Ukrainian practice where he used to visit, so he rung them up to book an appointment.<br /><br />They told him they could see him immediately, prompting Richard to fly to Poland on February 28, and catch a 13 hour train across the border to Kyiv.<br /><br />Within the space of one week, he had his abscess drained, and extra work done, including three root canals and a filling, for a bargain £220.<br /><br />Richard said: "I used to go to them when I lived in Kyiv, so I trusted that they are a good practice.<br /><br />"The dentist there said he'd happily see me, so I flew to Lublin and got a very long train to Kyiv.<br /><br />"The travel cost me £100 each way in total, but because I have a house over there, accommodation was free.<br /><br />"When I arrived at the clinic, they drained the abscess, killed the infected roots and cleaned up around my tooth.<br /><br />"I took the opportunity to have a full check-up while I was there, and found out I needed root canal and a filling - so he did that for me to.<br /><br />"And, when I saw the bill, I knew it had been worth it."<br /><br />Richard had four separate appointments in Ukraine, and then made his way back to Cambridgeshire.<br /><br />He says during his stay he heard air raid sirens go off every day, and had to abide by a strict 11pm - 5am curfew the city has in place.<br /><br />On March 8, while on the train back to Poland, Putin launched 80 missile into Ukraine.<br /><br />Richard, who used to work in the motoring industry, made it back unscathed, but admits it opened his eyes to the risks he'd run by returning to the country.
