A DAUGHTER has revealed her heartache after her dad took his own life when his botched dental work left him in agony for years.
Clive Worthington suffered nerve damage after he travelled to Hungary for dental implants in 2008.
He was left unable to eat properly and battled agonising migraines after follow-up procedures in the UK proved unsuccessful.
The 81-year-old was awarded £117,378 in damages and legal costs after Dr Eszter Gömbös was found at fault for the botched dental work by the General Dental Council (GDC).
But a legal loophole meant Clive, who had been planning to use the money for dentistry care not covered by the NHS, died without a penny of the cash.
The insurer that covered Dr Gömbös, the Dental Defence Union (DDU), argued "discretionary indemnity" – meaning they could refuse to pay the money but did not have to reveal why.
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Clive's daughter Gina Tilly has now spoken out after an inquest last week concluded a verdict of suicide.
A coroner ruled the "long-term consequences" of his dental surgery "impacted significantly on his mental health and ability to cope with daily life".
Gina said: "It's such a tragic end to a life.
"It just makes me so mad – that it didn't have to end this way."
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Clive's ordeal began in 2008 when he flew to Hungary to get dental implants and a fitted overdenture from Perfect Profiles.
His new denture was not fitted properly, which caused chipping and cracks, as well as repeated infections.
The dad-of-two continued to see Dr Gömbös at one of the surgery's British branches and was regularly re-fitted with new dentures.
In 2015, the dentist admitted she was "at the end of her expertise" and instructed Clive to seek compensation from her insurers.
During this time, Clive's weight plummeted as he was unable to eat and he suffered constant gum pain, headaches and a deviated jaw.
The widowed ex-woodmaker was also treated for anxiety and depression and stopped going out.
Gina said: "He was constantly going to dentists and asking if they can do anything for him.
“It was a complete mess. In the end, he just knew he wasn’t going to get the help he wanted.
“Every time he felt like he was getting somewhere with his health or with the compensation claim – it just felt like too much to navigate.
“These big old organisations make you feel powerless.
“I knew he’d been struggling, he was having a really hard time. I knew something was wrong but it was still a shock.”
The granddad-of-five took his complaint to the GDC, who in 2017 found Dr Gömbös guilty of several acts of misconduct.
Four years later, Dr Gömbös was instructed to pay £86,495.62 in damages and £30,882.80 in costs within 14 days.
But a loophole meant the money was never paid out as the DDU supplies discretionary indemnity to cover their members for things such as conduct hearings and compensation claims against them.
The GDC requires dentists to have “appropriate” indemnity cover but includes “discretionary indemnity” in that definition of "appropriate".
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
- Movember, www.uk.movember.com
- Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm
Gina has now vowed to keep fighting to change the system, which has been branded "madness" and "completely outdated".
She added: "I just don't want my dad to have died in vain because of this.
"I will keep asking the questions and I'll keep fighting to try and get things changed."
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently carrying out a review into the issue of clinical negligence.
The GDC said: “Patients must be able to seek compensation in the rare event that something goes wrong in their dental care.
“It is deeply frustrating that weaknesses in the current legislation caused the system to fail in this instance.
“We encourage the Department of Health and Social Care to accelerate their work to review and update the existing provisions, which we as regulator can then apply.”
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The DDU said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases. We would however point out that the DDU is part of a not-for-profit mutual membership organisation which provides its members with indemnity for clinical negligence claims for treatment provided in the UK and Ireland.
"It is rare that we are unable to offer our members support: over the past five years we have assisted well over 99.5% of members who have approached us for support with claims and other legal matters.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
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