At first glance, the scene looks idyllic. A hot summer’s day in a Mediterranean beach resort, tourists reclining on sun loungers by the swimming pool. But look closer. One man is holding a tissue to his mouth and spitting blood. Two women are having an agonised conversation about the state of their gums. It turns out these British “holidaymakers” aren’t here for the azure waters and cocktails, but to get dental treatment – in some cases, as emergency patients.

In our latest Insights long read, social anthropologist Diana Ibanez-Tirado meets some of the increasing number of Britons who are travelling to Turkey to see a dentist because they can’t get an NHS appointment at home. One multigenerational party of 12 from Wales have organised a two-week trip so they can all get dental treatment together, supporting each other in their moments of pain. Amid the collapse of NHS services all over the UK, it’s cheaper for them to fly 1,500 miles to see a dentist than go private at home. As one Turkish clinic owner puts it: “Your crisis is our business.”

Also today, we learn what the recent Welsh farmers’ protests can tell us about the agricultural uprisings that are going on across the continent. And we hear from an expert in imaginary friends on how realistic the new horror film Imaginary is in portraying this common aspect of childhood as something acutely sinister.

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