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Help fix Rioux's teeth
When Rioux was eight months old he was hospitilized for three days in order to surgically drain a golf ball sized abscess in his neck. He had an extremely high fever and the hospital staff informed me that they wanted to administer an antibiotic that could possibly cause his baby teeth to grow in pitted and yellow. I was told that if he wasn't given this medicine the risks of this kind of infection in such a young baby were grave. I decided a live baby with bad teeth was perfectly acceptable.Â
Since his teeth grew in they have been a constant challenge. I have done my absolute best to take care of them both on the surface and systemically. I have done my fair share of research and taken him to multiple dentists. In his young life he has already been under anesthesia twice, and recieved more dental work than anyone in the family, and at 22 I have thousands of dollars of medical debt hanging over my head.
Rioux just turned six and recently he developed an infection in his tooth which I took as the last straw. I drove him to yet another dentist appointment, my gas light on, and was told that the best thing to do would be to put him under yet again and do all the work at once. I agreed that I wanted it done with in the least painful way possible. They then gave me a quote of the dental work alone, with insurance, and not including the anesthesia and surgical center fees: $2623.20. I managed to fight back the tears until we were in the car, and hide them from Rioux so as not to ruin his pleasant experience with the dentist. They told me they would call me with the quotes for the other two fees (one of which is due in full a week before the procedure), which I optimistically assume are a few hundred dollars each.Â
I am a single mother, currently working for barely above minimum wage and had been coming up short on rent for the past several months when I recieved this news. I rely heavily on government assistance for food, and am constantly doing my best to stash away any money I can for a rainy day. I know this kind of news is not uncommon, nor the end of the world but in my current situation, the options are not promising.Â
It is hard for me to put this out there and ask for help, but I know that Rioux and I are loved by so may who only need a way to show it. I really believe this is the best chance I have for getting Rioux's teeth finally taken care of so he isn't in pain anymore.Â
I set the goal high because I have yet to recieve quotes for the grand total, but I can't stress enough that anything at all is so enormously appreciated.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and maybe make my tiny family's life better for a while.Â
~Kaija