GRIPPING hard onto his pliers, Debroy Parrington took a deep breath and prepared to use all his strength to pull down and rip out his own tooth.

The granddad-of-five had been driven to take drastic action after days of agonising pain from an infected tooth, with no option of seeing a dentist for professional help in the height of lockdown.

He's far from alone, as a recent study found one in four British households opted for at least one form of DIY dentistry during lockdown.

Local practices were told to suspend routine face-to-face services on March 25 and to set up local UDC hubs to treat patients with urgent needs. But it's meant a huge backlog now, with people still struggling to get appointments.

A poll, carried out by the Association of Dental Groups, found 7.6 per cent of those had tried to extract a tooth themselves - and experts are now warning of the dangers of trying it at home.

"Trying to extract your own tooth often leads to permanent damage and more trips to the dentist to get it put right," Neil Carmichael, the Association's Chair, tells Sun Online.

"It can allow harmful bacteria into the bloodstream and it often leaves the door wide open to cavities and infection."

Here Brits share how they were driven to take dangerous measures to end their pain...