Help Sabrina Smile!
Donation protected
“Happy Birthday Sabrina!” the crowd gathers around waiting to witness her reaction to a surprise birthday bash they’d been planning for some time. She looks around at all of the happy faces of bright eyes and open smiles but remains stoic. She knows that she has to navigate a way to stammer out a few blurbs of “oh my gosh!”," what a surprise", and “thank you” in order to prove her appreciation and gratitude. She manages to display a bashful, closed-mouth smile as she reciprocates hugs and shakes hands even though inside, she is beaming with excitement and bliss.
This is my life, day in and day out.
I am a recent college graduate of the University of South Florida with a degree in Information Technology. I earned straight As in all of my courses resulting in a 3.89 GPA. My goal is to work in Cyber / Information Security. I have earned a CompTIA Security+ certification as well as an A+ cert while in college. I continue to read and persue personal enrichment to work towards that goal. However, after all of my college success and hard work, I am unfortunately unemployed. I am deathly afraid of interacting in an interview with my teeth in such poor condition. Displaying my gregarious personality or imparting a manner of excitement and desire for the career that I want is an impossibility due to the constant act of trying to hide my teeth.
My teeth are all severely decayed, brittle, and broken off not only where my molars are, but at the most critical point for me – in the very front of my mouth. I am unable to smile, laugh, or speak with animation without someone noticing that there is something abnormal about my teeth. A few months ago, another front tooth broke off while I was eating a sandwich. That was the last straw for me. This latest incident has now noticeably altered my speech.
I was one of those children who grew up very poor in a single-parent home with no dental insurance. Experiencing a dental visit was not a part of the equation. I had NEVER been to the dentist or had care before my 25th birthday which is when I finally contacted a dentist in Gainesville, FL hoping for a miracle. I visited, had an assessment (and a tooth extraction due to extreme pain) but my hopes were dashed and I was deflated as I could not afford the payment ($22,000) for a full mouth restoration. This was a few years ago; my teeth have worsen since then.
I avoid apples and carrots and anything that would have the potential to further break off my teeth. I have to cut everything in small pieces instead of biting with my teeth to eat. To maintain some type of nutrition, I have invested in a juicer and ingest raw fruits and veggies that way. I would love to be able to bite into a sandwich at a cafe without worry that my teeth are going to come out with one wrong bite, or experience a juicy pear without having to cut it in to small pieces. I would love to be able to greet a stranger and say “Hello!” with an open smile instead of dropping my head or avoiding eye contact.
.
I am tired of this. I am too young to have this problem. I have not fully smiled or laughed without covering my hand over my mouth since elementary school. My lack of a healthy mouth has and continues to hold me back from realizing my true potential. IT HAS DESTROYED MY CONFIDENCE. I did not want to talk to professors at school, I avoided networking opportunities and job fairs, and I evade friends’ and family's requests to go out. I have stopped attending my favorite Zumba classes as I cannot keep placing my hand over my mouth to laugh and fellowship with other classmates (I make friends quite easily, which makes my situation even harder to deal with). I know that they notice my teeth but no one has mentioned anything. I have avoided my absolute favorite makeup accessory – lipstick – to dodge causing attention to my mouth and as a young, modern woman, this is so hard for me. I cannot even imagine the thought of being a bride and the special event of having a wedding because I am unable to laugh and smile! Every year it gets worse and worse and I become more and more reclusive. My life is passing me by and I want to live freely and openly as a normal person.
This is not me. I am fun, positive, and full of life. The condition of my teeth is slowly robbing me of my joy and ability to express myself and happily journey through life.
I have never fully exposed my dental issues to anyone and opening myself up to a huge platform such as this is extremely daunting for me. However, my condition has gotten to a point in which I cannot be bashful anymore and I have to stop suffering in silence. I am asking to please help, in any way you can, be it a financial contribution, or the offering of dental services. Either way, I INCREDIBLY appreciate the generosity and selflessness shown by complete strangers in helping me restore my smile, health and my life. I am not sitting idly by as I am not one to readily ask for help, I have been actively selling my items of worth on my own to save money for this procedure.
This request for help goes beyond a simple desire to have a broken tooth repaired or a crooked smile realigned - for me, it is an extreme need. This would LITERALLY change the course of my life.
Thank you.
This is my life, day in and day out.
I am a recent college graduate of the University of South Florida with a degree in Information Technology. I earned straight As in all of my courses resulting in a 3.89 GPA. My goal is to work in Cyber / Information Security. I have earned a CompTIA Security+ certification as well as an A+ cert while in college. I continue to read and persue personal enrichment to work towards that goal. However, after all of my college success and hard work, I am unfortunately unemployed. I am deathly afraid of interacting in an interview with my teeth in such poor condition. Displaying my gregarious personality or imparting a manner of excitement and desire for the career that I want is an impossibility due to the constant act of trying to hide my teeth.
My teeth are all severely decayed, brittle, and broken off not only where my molars are, but at the most critical point for me – in the very front of my mouth. I am unable to smile, laugh, or speak with animation without someone noticing that there is something abnormal about my teeth. A few months ago, another front tooth broke off while I was eating a sandwich. That was the last straw for me. This latest incident has now noticeably altered my speech.
I was one of those children who grew up very poor in a single-parent home with no dental insurance. Experiencing a dental visit was not a part of the equation. I had NEVER been to the dentist or had care before my 25th birthday which is when I finally contacted a dentist in Gainesville, FL hoping for a miracle. I visited, had an assessment (and a tooth extraction due to extreme pain) but my hopes were dashed and I was deflated as I could not afford the payment ($22,000) for a full mouth restoration. This was a few years ago; my teeth have worsen since then.
I avoid apples and carrots and anything that would have the potential to further break off my teeth. I have to cut everything in small pieces instead of biting with my teeth to eat. To maintain some type of nutrition, I have invested in a juicer and ingest raw fruits and veggies that way. I would love to be able to bite into a sandwich at a cafe without worry that my teeth are going to come out with one wrong bite, or experience a juicy pear without having to cut it in to small pieces. I would love to be able to greet a stranger and say “Hello!” with an open smile instead of dropping my head or avoiding eye contact.
.
I am tired of this. I am too young to have this problem. I have not fully smiled or laughed without covering my hand over my mouth since elementary school. My lack of a healthy mouth has and continues to hold me back from realizing my true potential. IT HAS DESTROYED MY CONFIDENCE. I did not want to talk to professors at school, I avoided networking opportunities and job fairs, and I evade friends’ and family's requests to go out. I have stopped attending my favorite Zumba classes as I cannot keep placing my hand over my mouth to laugh and fellowship with other classmates (I make friends quite easily, which makes my situation even harder to deal with). I know that they notice my teeth but no one has mentioned anything. I have avoided my absolute favorite makeup accessory – lipstick – to dodge causing attention to my mouth and as a young, modern woman, this is so hard for me. I cannot even imagine the thought of being a bride and the special event of having a wedding because I am unable to laugh and smile! Every year it gets worse and worse and I become more and more reclusive. My life is passing me by and I want to live freely and openly as a normal person.
This is not me. I am fun, positive, and full of life. The condition of my teeth is slowly robbing me of my joy and ability to express myself and happily journey through life.
I have never fully exposed my dental issues to anyone and opening myself up to a huge platform such as this is extremely daunting for me. However, my condition has gotten to a point in which I cannot be bashful anymore and I have to stop suffering in silence. I am asking to please help, in any way you can, be it a financial contribution, or the offering of dental services. Either way, I INCREDIBLY appreciate the generosity and selflessness shown by complete strangers in helping me restore my smile, health and my life. I am not sitting idly by as I am not one to readily ask for help, I have been actively selling my items of worth on my own to save money for this procedure.
This request for help goes beyond a simple desire to have a broken tooth repaired or a crooked smile realigned - for me, it is an extreme need. This would LITERALLY change the course of my life.
Thank you.
Organizer
Sabrina Blunt
Organizer
Gainesville, FL
