GuyWith... NewTeeth?

Hey, friends.

As you may or may not have known, I had to forgo my pride once before and made a fundraiser to help me cover some costs while battling cancer. The good news is that I absolutely smashed cancer and have been 5 years free of dealing with it. While I am cancer free, it still has taken a toll on me physically.

Part of that toll involves my teeth.

During chemo, I once had this really bad infection in my gums that put a very large gap between my two front teeth. I recall going to my doctor and after being asked what brought me in, I just smiled. His welcoming smile soon turned into an "ooooh" and I was in dire need of medication. It hurt SO much. Fortunately, that problem went away and the massive gap between my teeth soon closed.

In fact, I always had a small gap between my two front teeth but they soon were neatly side by side. Until one got sick of the other and my teeth started to shift to the point where one of them had to go. I'm writing this right now with only one front tooth.

The general condition of my teeth are "not too good," as said by the dental surgeon I have seen.

I decided earlier this year that I was going to finally bite the bullet and get dentures. My disability support worker said he would gladly help get them covered and I just had to pull the trigger. I wasn't ready for the longest time but as the front tooth was lost and the pains of OTHER teeth starting to become a problem... it was the right time.

I've been dealing with my dentist as well as a denturist and now a dental surgeon. I was actually told my meeting with the dental surgeon would have been months from now but there was a cancellation and I was moved up.

The surgeon took a look at my mouth and decided on a plan of action. I'm losing a ton of teeth (obviously) and we're working towards immediate dentures. I have met with a denturist and those should be ready to go. All that's left is ripping out what I've got in my face and I'll be given a new smile!

This is where the fundraiser comes in. While I am on disability and they will be picking up most of the costs, there are still some things that are not covered. Disability is no easy road to being a millionaire. I get enough to survive and, with the high cost of living, even THAT is a struggle at times. As such... here I am. Cap in hand. Asking for a little help.

Because I am always as transparent as I possibly can be, here is an itemized list that was provided to me by the dental office:

$91 - IV Sedation (because there's no way I can do this awake!)

$520 - Alveoloplasty x2. There will be "peaks" where the teeth have been removed and this will be the repair to fix both the upper and lower jawbone.

$1904 - Two Sinus Closures. Two of my teeth have embedded roots in my sinus cavity. Removing them will cause a hole that needs to fixed. Why disability doesn't cover this, I have absolutely no idea.

It's a lot. $2515 a lot. Obviously, I'm going to be putting some of my own money towards this where I can (disability is no way to get rich) but I absolutely need help. My pride isn't even preventing me from a psychological standpoint.

I don't smile in photos. I smirk at the very most. I absolutely despise smiling in public because I'm ashamed and embarrassed with how my teeth look. I used an app on my phone to see what a new smile could look like... and if I could actually look half as decent as in that AI photo? Why wouldn't I want to get this done?

So... please. I know it's a big ask given the holidays and everything. Here's a sneak peak of what COULD be: