24 hr Dental Emergency provision at week ends

I was recently enjoying a lovely week end with my Husband visiting family on the IOW, I felt a niggle in my tooth as we were crossing over on the ferry (yes it was a Friday), we got there and had a lovely evening, tooth not feeling too bad. Saturday went well, had another lovely family time, tooth not too bad, then Saturday evening the pain started ..... I was up most of the night my tooth throbbing .....I took pain killer after pain killer .... Sunday morning in quite a lot of pain but took more pain killers and went out with the family (already arranged), by 12.00pm I could stand it no more, I rang around a few dentists, there was no provision for emergency treatment until Monday Morning .... OMG, I was now crying with pain ... I then rang 111, only to be told, I am really sorry, you have missed the only emergency dentist, they closed at 12.00 o'clock OMG, I am now pacing around like a mad woman in AGONY, my Husband suggests we visit A&E, by now it's 3.30pm, I didn't have to wait too long for the Doctor see me (he took pity on me) and said I am not a Dentist but, I can give you some Amoxil & pain killers until you see your own Dentist, now I do know that most A&E departments will not even give a person with Dental pain anything, even though they are in AGONY so I regard myself to be very fortunate! I went straight back to the hotel room and took a double dose of Amoxil & a painkiller, I can only say it took the pressure off enough to see the family later whom we had to abandon earlier. I got through the evening then went back to the hotel took another double dose of Amoxil & more painkillers, well what a night ...... I was still in a lot of pain, I must have drifted in and out of sleep. Monday morning I got up at 6.00 by now my face was very swollen, I looked and felt awful, I then decided to find a local Dentist (before the ferry home), I was waiting on the Dentists doorstep at 8.00am, I've never been so grateful to be at the Dentists! He looked at me pitifully then checked the tooth and yes, it was a full on nasty abscess, he prescribed me some stronger medication, I hurried to the chemist and took two tablets straight away, 20 mins later, OMG ..... I was now in even more agony, this can happen when the meds try to stop the infection from growing, the sepsis breaks down and deposits it in your bloodstream, it makes you feel very poorly, we decided to get an earlier ferry home!! We stopped in at my sister's on the way, as she lives in Bournemouth (who just happens to be a nurse), so I could try to rest, she was shocked when she saw me, by now it was nearly 2.00pm, I was due another dose of meds at 3.00pm, I took them & went to bed for an hour, I was now in and out of weird sleep, when I got up my sister was very concerned about my airway as my tongue was swollen as well as my neck, I also had a temperature, she took me to A&E. I was admitted immediately and within 30mins I was put on a drip being pumped full of antibiotics & fluids, I was now septic. Well as you can Imagine I was not a happy bunny, my face and neck looked like a misshapen football. I spent the evening in a little ward in A&E at Bournemouth Hospital, then at 4am was moved to Poole Hospital by Ambulance where they have a team of specialists, so there I am in Hospital for the best part of 5 days, being pumped full of antibiotics & fluids, followed by surgery & a drain in my neck!! After a day of observation I was released to go home on Friday with meds for another 5 days. It will take a few weeks for the swelling to go down and another week off work!! Can you see why it is important to have Emergency Dentists in A&E or elsewhere, to cover week-ends, if I could have seen a Dentist sooner I would not have been in this situation!! And it is the first time I have ever been in this situation!!! I am not a person who neglects her teeth, I have regular 6 monthly check ups! I have since heard so many similar horror stories about not getting treatment in time, why & when did severe pain (Dental) no longer become sympathetic by the medical profession?? Now Jeremy can you see how prevention is better then a cure!! Come on Jeremy Hunt, get this division sorted out between the NHS & Dentists!!