EXCLUSIVE: Hayley Bramhall whose seven-year-old son Philip has waited four months for tooth extractions calls on government to release NHS waiting data12:56, 26 Jul 2026Dentists warn children are waiting over a year in agony for tooth extractions at hospital.‌One mum told the Mirror how her seven-year-old non-verbal autistic son Philip Smith spent four months living in agony with a dental abscess while waiting for “urgent” treatment. After the abscess grew worse, he now requires several teeth removed.‌The British Dental Association is calling for the government to release waiting time data on the more complex dental work that needs to be carried out in hospitals.‌Philip’s mum, Hayley Bramhall, started an online government petition calling for children with special educational needs to be seen within 12 weeks before being inundated with comments from parents facing similar long waits.She said: “It’s heartbreaking watching your child live with that level of pain and knowing there’s so little you can do. Philip spent his seventh birthday with an abscess and in intense pain.‌“I didn’t realise things were this bad until I started the petition and it was just horror story after horror story. There are children waiting with an exposed nerve for over 12 months. Some children have been waiting years.”The Mirror has launched the Dentists for All campaign with the BDA calling for a return to universal access to NHS dentistry for everyone who needs it.‌Children usually require going under general anesthetic for tooth extractions so this has to be done in hospital. Such procedures can be carried out by community dental clinics based in hospitals, or simply as a hospital inpatient.Hayley, from Macclesfield, said: “As much as he is trying to carry on being his happy little self, you can see how much it is affecting him. He’s changed the way he eats to avoid using that side of his mouth, and I’m constantly worried he’ll stop eating altogether because he already has such a restricted diet.‌“When he’s in pain, he can hurt himself. I’m giving him paracetamol whenever he needs it, but I worry about how long he’s been relying on it. The hospital won’t prescribe any more antibiotics now. We just have to keep watching and hope the infection doesn’t spread.“School have noticed the difference too. He often sits holding his mouth in his hands. It’s as though the pain is becoming normal for him.”Hayley’s petition on the Parliament website has now gained 943 signatures and she has been given a hospital date for Philip’s operation at the end of the month. She is calling for the government to reveal how many other children face agonising waits.‌Hayley said: “There are so many children waiting on the list to be seen. It’s truly shocking. Parents shouldn’t have to fight to get their children the treatment they need, especially when they’re in severe pain.”Tooth decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children - which ministers labelled a “Dickensian” legacy of previous Conservative governments.‌The BDA says some kids are waiting years to have teeth extracted because the surgery is competing with other operations on the NHS waiting list for operating theatre time.Historically, waiting lists have revealed tens of thousands of children on year-long waiting lists. The Government announced it was collecting new data on these waiting times monthly since August 2025 but officials have not published it and have declined Freedom of Information requests from the BDA.‌BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: "The Government has no shortage of soundbites on children ending up in hospital for extractions. But kids facing yearlong waits have yet to get anything that looks like real support."The reality is, embarrassing waiting list data is getting buried. Dentists are being told to down tools to help hit other government NHS targets. What we're not seeing is the openness and resources to tackle this."A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Our sympathies go out to Philip and all children waiting for urgent dental treatment.Article continues below“This government has taken swift action to rebuild NHS dentistry. Our reforms prioritise patients with the greatest need, improving access across the country, and tackling tooth decay from an early age. We’re on track to deliver 2.5 million additional courses of treatment.”