Pim, aged 16, is one of those affected. The lack of dentists has long been a fact in Norrbotten. But it has not always been so.
– What is so annoying and tragic is that the situation was very good 10-15 years ago, says Johansson Huuva.
Dental care in Norrbotten
This is how the dental care manager in Luleå explains the long waiting times
16-year-old in Luleå doesn’t dare to smile – eight-year queue for braces
She says that the years that followed meant many retirements and that it also became more difficult to recruit.
Then the dental queue is shortened
The regional council believes that those who need a milder adjustment can get it in general dental care and that there is then almost no waiting time.
– Those who are at the beginning of this need, those who are younger, follow the instructions from the dental care that may be needed to reduce a negative development. Sometimes it grows.
Hear Birgitta Johansson Huuva about how the region can do to shorten the queues within a few years.