Jamie's Smile and Health Need Your Support

Hello all!

I am a 36-year-old female who has had a lot of health problems over the years, one of them being with my teeth. My teeth were never great, but they weren't horrible either. But then I got pregnant, and they started literally chipping and crumbling away, almost all of them being my back ones (your molars). I was told pregnancy uses up a lot of your calcium, which is something your teeth severely need. Long story short, little by little, I had to get teeth pulled, had abscesses, more teeth pulled, and finally decided to pull the last 14 front teeth I had because my front tooth chipped, and I was over having toothaches every few months. So I was put to sleep, had the last 14 pulled, and a few weeks later got dentures. But this is where more problems began.

My dentures were okay, but not great because I have Medicaid, and they only pay for the cheapest type. And the fitting wasn't great either, but again, Medicaid doesn't pay doctors enough to make my dentist care enough to make them fit perfectly. So I dealt with it. But then my biggest problem of all happened. I was cleaning them, and they slipped out of my hand and onto my bathroom tiled floor. And CRACKED. I took them to my dentist, and he said they couldn't be fixed, and Medicaid only pays for one pair every five years.

I have had open-heart surgery twice, first from endocarditis and second from cancer. Medicaid paid for it all. I'm on blood thinners and have to get my blood drawn every week, and Medicaid pays for that. But they won't pay for my teeth (or my glasses, but that's a different but similar story). I've been without teeth for three years now, and my face is changing in shape. I do not take pictures because I'm embarrassed at the way I look. And it is lowering my self-esteem every day that my face sinks more. You need teeth to eat, but you also need them for your bone structure. And talking about food... My diet is lacking because it is so hard to eat healthy vegetables with no teeth.

I need help. I am so embarrassed to even be sitting here writing this, but here I am. I set my goal at $5,000, but I really need more like $8,000, but I figured I could try and save up the rest myself. I am about to be 37 in 5 days, I have 7 years clean from heroin, I got engaged in March, and I really want to look and eat normal again. I want to not run and hide and actually take pics with my family and friends. And lastly, I want to help cure some of my depression by boosting my self-esteem. So please, if you could help with anything at all, it would be hugely appreciated. And if you do, thanks in advance. It truly means so much.

Sincerely,

Jamie Lee Little