My dental history: Story long as my dental record

My name: Oshun. My life long struggle: dental health. When I was five the doctor asked my mom if I had ever had any trauma to the mouth. Had I ever knocked my face really hard? Had I ever fallen on my mouth or my face specifically in the teeth area? The answer was no. I had never. There was no reason that my teeth should have been rotting out of my face the way they were. It was as if my two front teeth had come out dead and just continued to die until they fell out and my adult teeth grew in. It only got worse from there. When I got my adult teeth, my four front teeth where my biggest insecurity. Two of them were straight and the other two were completely sideways. You could see through my mouth with my teeth clenched shut. The teeth were also too close together and the back of my front tooth started to rot. I had it filled numerous times and no matter how much I brushed or flossed, it always gave me trouble. Not only my two front teeth, but my back teeth started to do the same. When I was in high school my mother, who had no money, found a way to get me braces for free. She knew how insecure I was. How bad it made me feel; how People teased me in high school. Crooked tooth; They called me. Not only were my teeth rotten, but it was a rotten time in my life. The braces made me feel confident. I was going to finally have straight teeth like everyone else. They even said that in most cases the worse the teeth look, the easier and the quicker they are to fix. I did not have my braces for very long. When I got my braces off, i was so thrilled to have beautiful straight teeth. Finally, For the first time in my life. No one can make fun of me for my teeth and I could feel beautiful. In middle school, I also began to lose teeth. My back teeth started to fail and I was getting them pulled. One time they had to remove a bracket (before I even had my braces removed) so that they could remove a tooth. I was a middle/high schooler who'd had so much dental work already she was saying to herself and to her friends "one day, I want to marry a dentist. I have to find a dentist to Marry. Then I'll have free dental care for the rest of my life!" My friends thought I was crazy. They hated going to the dentist. I loved the dentist because every time I went he fixed something that was wrong. It was often. It was all the time. In my eyes, a dentist was a godsend. Even though it wasn't my money, it was my mother's, actually, it was covered by the dental insurance of my father (and what wasn't came out of my mother's pocket,) I knew that I had already spent thousands of dollars and that I had a lifetime of dental procedures ahead of me. After I got my braces off, I think I'd only had one missing tooth at the time, things were good for a little while. Then more back teeth. By the time I was in high school I think I had had three or four pulled. I have low sinus cavities so one time I had a tooth extracted and if you've ever had a tooth extracted you know that there is a hole. Well this hole, in particular, connected to the hole in my nose, Somehow. I went back to the dentist and they told me that it was my sinus cavity... OPEN; that my root had actually touched my sinus cavity and when they pulled the tooth it left a hole that I could breathe through. It was such a strange sensation. There were certain words I would say that would push air through the hole in my mouth and it would come out of my nose. Also, if I plugged up the nostril that was not affected and pulled air through the nostril that was affected, I could get it to come out of the hole in my gums where the tooth used to be. It took that hole about 6 months to close up, due to the air that inevitably kept pushing through the hole and keeping it open. It didn't hurt. I got used to the air and I learned a different way to breathe, speak and eat. I never thought it would close up but when it finally did I was so happy. Thinking back now. I don't know why they didn't just put a stitch in it When they figured it out. Also, I don't know why I never had root canals instead of just getting my teeth pulled. I assume now it was due to the lack of funds that my family had. It wasn't until I was an adult that I started getting root canals. By that age, I was already off of my father's insurance and paying anywhere from $900 to $1,500 a root canal, Just to keep what teeth I had left because I had already lost too many from middle school and high school. (Not to mention, I've had multiple root canals perform that have later failed and had to be pulled.) To make this deal even sweeter, my front tooth, the problem tooth, started to rot again. I was in the public eye, having to speak to people, as a bartender, as my career always has been the service industry. There's since been times I spoke to hundreds of people a day. At that particular time I was a bartender at Ruby Tuesday. It was in between the teeth as if I didn't floss, which I always did. I ALWAYS carried floss and or toothpick flossers. I still do to this day. The hole became larger and larger and I was unable to get to the dentist due to funds. So I found myself packing it for months. If you're not familiar, there is a product that you can buy from the store in the dental area that is a cavity filler. If you're filling falls out, It's a temporary filler until you can get to the dentist. It's like a putty/ clay- type of material that hardens and it stays in there for a few days. Well that stuff is white, white. And of course, since I didn't have healthy teeth, I didn't have the whitest of teeth. I had weak enamel. I was told by the dentist after I got my braces off that they had weakend the outer shell of my teeth, my enemal, that does not grow back. So in conclusion to that statement, the imitation filler was not a match to my teeth; I found something that was. Anything that was. I was packing my front tooth with chewed up corners of paper. I packed it with a specific type of gum that I found that matched the shade of my teeth, all so that no one could see the rotting gap I was growing between my two FRONT TEETH. None of my friends knew, none of my co-workers knew. Not a soul. I was packing a cavity with orbit peppermint gum. I had reached a low. Or so I thought. After a while I ended up getting that fixed. I got it filled. And one of my lower teeth started to act up. It was a back one as well and I had to get it pulled. At the dentist office, Dentist was giving me shots of Novocaine and he would start working and I would still feel it. He told me to tap on his hand if I still felt it. So I did. I think it was about the fourth shot of Novocaine. I instantly felt numb and he said "okay, open your mouth" and I was trying. I had to physically take my hand and lower my jaw. He went on with the procedure. I did not feel a thing. I got home. I cared for the extraction as you normally do. Salt water and proper brushing. After about 3 days, I had a lump in the bottom of my jaw which felt as though I had a jolly rancher down there, in between my jawbone and my cheek, as if I was hiding It away like some Chipmunk. I went back to the dentist and the extraction was perfectly fine. It was healing, as a matter of fact. But my jaw was killing me with pain and swelling.They could not figure out why. After a second visit about 2 days later, as this thing grew larger, they took an x-ray and they found that it was an infection in my lower jaw bone. What happened was that last shot of Novocaine; The very tip of the needle pierced my jaw bone and was shot directly into the bone itself. I was sent home with antibiotics. I missed a few days of work due to the softball-sized lump I had in my lower jaw. After about 3 days of antibiotics, I return to work with a smaller lump in my jaw and about 5 days into my antibiotics, In the middle of my shift at work, I had a strange sensation, so I went to the bathroom and a blister had formed between my cheek and my teeth. As I opened my cheek to look at it, it erupted and I was met with about a half ounce of puss. I quickly placed a paper towel in there and went out and told my manager that I needed to go home. He understood completely and he jumped behind the bar and finished my shift. I drove the 10 miles to my house with this paper towel in my mouth. Careful not to put any pressure. As soon as I reach the house, I ran into the bathroom and I massaged that lump out of my jaw and received about another ounce of puss, bloody and yellow, into that paper towel. Within minutes it was gone completely. That was the most foul thing that I had ever experienced! I continued to see the dentist regularly because I continued to have issues. Few more teeth in the back got pulled. Just to skip to the end and answer your question, You're supposed to have 32 teeth. I currently have 19. Jumping back, You know the story by now: in and out of the dentist constantly. Keeping up on cavities and chipped teeth and things of that nature. I met a guy at work and a few months later he asked me to move to St. Croix with him. I made a goal. I said yes I will move but I have to get my dental situation up to par. First, I went to the dentist weekly and I fixed all of the teeth that I had. I found a place in Richmond, Virginia called affordable dentures that did dentures at a very low discounted price. My mother drove me there and at 22 I received top and bottom partial dentures. I was ready to move to St. Croix. My teeth were beautiful and I had all of them. Even if they weren't all mine, at least I didn't have large gaps in the back of my mouth anymore. I could finally stop using my front teeth to chew. Which wasn't helping them any, Trust me. So I moved to St. Croix and every year that I would go home. I would schedule a visit to the dentist. There were no good dentists on St. Croix at the time And I wanted to keep seeing my dentist back home. Going to the dentist only once a year meant that when I went home, I had to make multiple trips to the dentist in one visit. Neglecting my mouth for months on end was not a benefit that I had. At 27 my wisdom teeth started to grow in and they became my four back teeth. From there I have spaces where I wear partials. Three teeth on the left top. Two on the right top. One on the bottom left and three on the bottom right are missing and replaced with dentures, a retainer with teeth. All of my front teeth are mine, upper and lower. But as my front top teeth continued to decline, I began to get root canals and crowns. I managed to crown almost half of the teeth that I had left. I was so happy to have these crowns. They were beautiful, More beautiful than any tooth that I ever grew myself. Of course, I had not finished but what I had was so nice. Fast forward to 2017. I received my two front teeth. (Que two front teeth Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song in my head) Beautiful new crowns. By the end of 2017 due to a domestic violence incident, I had my front tooth knocked out. My new crown that I had had for less than 6 months. I couldn't find it that night. I ended up finding a month later on top of the refrigerator. But it was The problem tooth. The one that came in crooked, the one that rotted, the one that I packed with bubblegum and paper. I was devastated. I had a black eye that look like I had been in the ring with Ronda Rousey but I was more concerned about my teeth. I immediately went to the dentist at 6:30 the next morning and got a temporary crown. 2 days later I was on a plane to Virginia with a black eye and a busted out brand new crown. I received my permanent crown before my black eye had even disappeared. What I did not know, until 3 years later when that crown became loose and started wobbling in my mouth, Was that my new permanent crown was not properly molded/filed on the back. My bottom teeth struck my new crown every time I talked and ate until it wiggled loose. Here I was with a loose front tooth. Still only 30. And that was just ONE tooth that I was dealing with at that moment. Meanwhile, the rest of my teeth were also declining, again. But since I had finally found a dentist on St. Croix, I started seeing him. my dentist back home retired And I started spending hundreds of dollars on St. Croix at the dentist. I was there every other month. I had started a new relationship and had been in it for about 2 years. He and I had worked at the same restaurants. There were multiple occasions that I would wake up with a swollen face And he would go to work for me and cover my shift. He even started working at one of the restaurants that I worked at because I woke up with a swollen face and a major toothache. I called my boss and asked if he could come into work for me. This was a small island, a small place, she knew him. Even Worked with him before so she said Yes. That happened countless occasions. I got pregnant. Pregnancy can be very hard on the teeth. I had to have an emergency root canal while I was pregnant. Now normally when you need a root canal they'll give you antibiotics and schedule for an appointment about a week later. By emergency root canal... I mean they didn't give me any antibiotics. They immediately sent me to a different dentist office and they did the root canal through the infection with no Novocaine just a local numbing gel since I was pregnant. When I say painful, I was bawling, crying in that chair. They kept trying to calm me down so that the baby didn't stress out with me. My ears were filling up with tears and that wasn't the first time the tears ever did that, It was just the worst. So fast forward a few more years, add in a few dozen more dentist visits for regular wear and tear (for my dental health that is) then I stopped going to the dentist all together, I had a house and a child and for reasons unknown I just could not make it. My back teeth started falling apart again, what I had left. My two natural top teeth that I had left, well those started to discolor and decline as well. I broke my top denture about 2 years ago. Every time I would eat, I would have to slip it out unnoticed and only eat soft foods Because I can't chew with them in. Not to mention, I can't eat hard foods with them in because they're the first and only set I've ever had. They're 13 years old and they don't have teeth left on them anymore, they're so worn down so badly. About 6 months ago, I went on vacation to Puerto Rico. I went zip lining. I was terrified to go ziplining, but I was more terrified that my teeth would fly out of my mouth because they were so loose. I bought poligrip, which I had never had to use before, and I've been using that every day since or my top teeth would just fall out of my mouth when I spoke. I don't know why I hadn't been using it these whole last 2 years But that's neither here nor there now. Oh and not to mention my front tooth, my problem tooth, it's loose again, My son accidentally head butt me and I felt and heard it click and I immediately knew that it was knocked loose again. So for the last 6 months I have been using a fork knife for all of my food. I have to cut everything from pizza to sandwiches in just small enough pieces that I can shove into the back of my mouth without touching my front teeth Because I cannot bite into a SINGLE thing, And I can't eat anything hard because I can't chew with my back teeth. For the last six months I have been frantically researching implants (all over the world). This is NOT everything that's ever happened to my teeth, this is just what I can remember. This procedure is my very last option. I need the remainder of my teeth pulled. Not only will that help my dental health, it will help my physical health, my mental health, and my overall health.... The decline of my teeth has now started to affect my sinuses and the teeth HAVE to come out. I have found an office here (in Dallas which I live 20 minutes away from) that specializes in this very procedure that I've dreamt of all of my life. Last Thursday I went into their office and had a 2-hour full exam. X-rays, game plan, exact quote on the procedure. I even picked out my new teeth! I need to have my remaining 19 teeth pulled. I need six implants on top and I need five implants on the bottom. From there I will receive a whole top full plate of teeth. The whole row will be attached to six screws. My bottom will be attached to the five screws. One whole plate. Today I applied to all five sources of financial assistance that they use. This is my last resort. This is my health. This is necessary. This is an emergency. I have to do this. It can be done before this very year is up, if I'm lucky. Nothing will stop me, nothing will stand in my way, Aside from this financial disadvantage that I am met with. But regardless, I will find a way. This is my desperate attempt to ask everyone I know for help. If you REALLY know me, you've encountered me during one of these horrendous experiences and you've seen first hand. But I will say this: Not many have. Not many people know how devastatingly disastrous and all around traumatizing my ENTIRE dental history has been. That's why I'm here sharing the most painful thing about myself. The thing that I carry the most shame about. The thing that I am the most embarrassed about. The thing that makes me the most vulnerable. I miss wearing masks. I thoroughly enjoyed those two years where I didn't have to show anyone my mouth. The two years where it was actually illegal to show people your mouth. THAT was a great time in my life. I started my spiritual journey a few years back but this year I dove in headfirst. I started this year saying that I would ask for help because No one can do everything alone. I started this year saying that I would share my story because someone else has a similar story or someone else needs to hear this. And while I know there aren't many of my friends who have had this extent of dental issues, I have to share this story because no one really knows. When I tell people I need dental work they say "Oh but your teeth look nice" Well that's because I've spent ten of thousands of dollars just to keep the teeth that I have, which aren't very many and the ones I do have aren't very functional. OR they've hit me with a "well, take better care of them!" "Oh!?! Take care of my teeth? It's just that simple? Tell someone whose teeth don't start failing them from the roots; From the inside out!" My mother had a full set of dentures by 29. Her father, my grandfather, had a full set by 16. I am now 35 and lucky to have saved what I have left to keep my bone structure (which helps tremendously for this procedure) but they have to go now. Teeth are genetic, you guys.

Before I left from St. Croix, after months of implant research, I even looked into dental tourism, I requested my dental records from my latest dentist. I found that I had been seeing him for 8 years. That doesn't include all of the dentists that I had seen in between. In those 8 years I had accumulated five pages of records and $18,374 in dental expenses. Again, keep in mind that he wasn't the only dentist that I was seeing in those years. So, I leave you with these last few sentences... It appears that I do not qualify for the financial assistance and their office does not accept Medicaid. I'm not here asking for suggestions. I have a solution. I'm here, desperately and shamelessly, asking for help. I rarely ever have and I believe its because I've saved it for this very moment, the moment I need THE MOST help I've ever needed in my entire life. This is not an issue of vanity. This is my HEALTH as a WHOLE. This procedure WILL change my life.