A man who took his own life was suffering from depression after a failed dental procedure in Turkey left him without any teeth, an inquest has heard.
Pawel Bukowski, a 48-year-old forklift driver, had travelled to a private clinic in the country in January 2025 to have his teeth replaced after suffering from periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection that can erode the gums and lead to tooth and bone loss.
Norfolk coroner’s court heard on Monday how Bukowski, a married father of three who was originally from Poland, had expected to have the teeth that were removed be replaced with temporary dentures, but was instead told he would not be provided with any and had to wait for six months before returning to have his new implants fitted.
His wife, Daria Bukowska, told the inquest: “He lost all hope that things could improve. Despite all our efforts to support him, we were ultimately unable to save him.”
The hearing was told that Bukowski suffered from poor mental health after returning to the UK after the treatment, made worse by concerns over needing to pay more than expected for a procedure that he considered a failure, struggling to eat properly without his teeth and drinking heavily.
Bukowska described her husband as someone who “always took care of himself, his appearance and his health” and said that the clinic informing him that they would not be fitting him anything to replace his teeth for six months after taking them out “was emotionally devastating”.
“He was deeply broken emotionally, losing his teeth had destroyed his self-confidence and sense of hope,” she said. “Despite our constant support, from me and his daughters, he was slipping away from us.”
Bukowski’s mental health “deteriorated rapidly” according to his wife, with a call to emergency services on 24 April resulting in him being admitted to Norfolk and Norwich university hospital, where a senior practitioner described him as having “strong suicidal ideation”.
Despite seeking help, it was decided that Bukowski did not require psychiatric admission. The inquest heard that four days later, on 28 April 2025, he was found dead at his home.
The Norfolk area coroner, Johanna Thompson, recorded Bukowski’s death as a suicide and told the inquest a subsequent investigation had identified “several lessons” to be learned and that it was “clear there were factors which impacted upon the care provided to Pawel”.
Bukowska criticised the care her husband received, saying his problems were “overlooked at every chance” and that factors such as a lack of support and a refusal to give Bukowski medication to alleviate the symptoms of his alcohol withdrawals led to his death.
“Pawel was failed at crucial points,” Bukowska said. “I hope that this is never repeated, that other families get to keep their dads, husbands, brothers and sons. Pawel deserved better.”