GOT a toothache? Chances are you’ll need to grin and bear it.

Footscray residents are waiting up to 26 months to receive dental treatment, four months longer than the State Government target.

The December 2007 waiting list figures pits Footscray as one of eight metropolitan areas to exceed the State Government’s benchmark of 22 months.

“The consequence of these extended delays is that treatment needs that could be addressed by simple restorative measures become much more complex, or worse, become so extreme that extraction or hospitalisation is required,” the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch said.