Ironically, after stepping up his efforts recently, the IT manager then found himself being invited to attend not one but two registration consultations.

Instead of allowing one of the sessions to go to waste, however, Mr Barrie has now given one lucky eBay bidder the chance to avoid a similar lengthy wait.

“My teeth were in good condition way back in 2001, but recently I have had toothache and it hurts, not quite crawling the walls yet, but I am getting there,” he explained. “It was getting to the stage where I was on first name terms with receptionists and time after time you just get laughed at.”

Ironically, after stepping up his efforts recently, the IT manager then found himself being invited to attend not one, but two registration consultations.

Instead of allowing one of the sessions to go to waste, however, Mr Barrie has now given one lucky bidder the chance to avoid a similar lengthy wait.

“My teeth were in good condition way back in 2001, but recently I have had toothache and it hurts, not quite crawling the walls yet, but I am getting there,” he explained.

“It was getting to the stage where I was on first-name terms with receptionists and time after time you just get laughed at.

“So I stepped up my phone calling on receptionists, who are very rarely sympathetic or nice, and have managed finally to achieve my goal and guess what, two come along at once.

“I decided to put one of them on eBay to stop someone else waiting so long and it is genuine — it is a registration appointment, meaning you will be registered and given a quick look at your teeth.”

Mr Barrie’s partner Kirsten Whittet (33) and his daughter Cobainy (9) have both secured a dentist in Glenrothes, while his son Brett (2) is also being lined up for the same practice.

Despite relentless attempts to do the same, Mr Barrie admitted he had been taken aback by the difficulty in receiving dental treatment after moving to Fife through work commitments.

“I gave up a perfectly good dentists’ practice in Coldside, Dundee, but I must have moved just as the crisis was beginning to take hold,” he added.

“I’ve tried all over Fife, everywhere from the East Neuk to Dunfermline, and I’ve even queued for hours just to get seen.

“I don’t know if it took me by surprise because I know it’s bad now wherever you go.

“But the biggest problem has been, I think, that I’ve not been at the right place at the right time.

“I know it’s not the dentists’ fault, they can only see a certain amount of patients at the one time, but I thought something had to be done to highlight how bad things have got.”

Mr Barrie added that he has even had to use a private dentist once in the last five years, landing him with a bill for £450.

While the auction is serious, although slightly tongue-in-cheek, all of the profits will go to a local animal charity.

The eBay site has so far received no bids for the appointment, with just over a day remaining on the auction.