Hello, friends! I come before you today because, two days ago, one of my molars spontaneously shattered, and it was all downhill from there.

This is quite a story.

The first thing I did was try to find a new dentist - I haven't been to one since we moved back to Oregon and I had to change my insurance carrier with the coming of the new tax year. Imagine my delight upon learning that none of the dentists who take my current insurance are accepting new patients. Actually zero. Well, to be strictly accurate, many are taking new patients, but only pediatric ones.

I don't think I can shave closely enough to pull that off, I'm 6'4".

So the short short version is I need urgent dental treatment, and my only option is to pay out of pocket.

I went back to the dentist I used to visit when we lived in Oregon previously; I was always super happy with their work and they took really good care of me. I paid up front for a full exam to get a detailed, itemized treatment plan so I could start to plan and budget.

After getting X-rayed and thoroughly examined, it turned out that my shattered molar was third down the priority list of treatment I urgently need.

Now, that's because of some hidden good news: the molar in question was one which previously had a root canal, which I'd forgotten. That means it doesn't and can't hurt, there's literally no nerve in there; it also means it's not an infection risk. At the moment, it's just kind of uncomfortable having jagged fragments of bone protruding from my jaw and scraping my tongue and cheek. They don't scrape hard enough to cut or anything, it's just annoying.

But while he was in there, the doc found that I have an active infection above my front top teeth - yes, people from Discord who have heard me talking about dental sensitivity for the last several years, those teeth, it turns out you were right all along. I also have a whole handful of cavities he says are more urgent than the broken molar because it can't get worse and they are getting worse with every passing second. I also apparently need three whole-ass crowns in addition to the broken one I went in there for and the front ones I mentioned previously.

Because ah yes, as the cherry on top, the problem with the front teeth is they are badly installed crowns I got from a hack dentist back in Missouri and even if we treat the infection now (he gave me a prescription for antibiotics), this is going to keep happening until all three teeth are root canaled and re-crowned. That's three front teeth which already have crowns in addition to the other three that need them.

So... I probably should have put this up yesterday, but I got back from the dentist and just kinda folded in on myself and did nothing until I feel asleep. I'm sure you understand.

The bad news is, the entire suite of dental treatments I need, and have to pay for without insurance, comes to just under $17,000. Yes, that is seventeen thousand of God's own United States dollars.

The good news is, my treatment plan is helpfully organized in tiers of different urgencies, this doesn't have to be and in fact probably shouldn't be done all at once, and despite what the doctor said I consider part of it straight up optional. Yes, yes, I know, you should listen to medical professionals, but understand, the largest single chunk of that total is the three front teeth. And yes, I know they are a problem, but it's a problem I've lived with for years now and know how to work around. It's not an urgent or big problem. Also I'm going to go get my antibiotics as soon as the pharmacy opens so that'll set me right at least temporarily on that front. This is the most expensive item and the lowest on the priority list.

To summarize the itemized treatment plan and totals:

You'll notice this comes in batches. A whole crown, for example, is $1,955; I need a total of seven and don't have to do them all at once. The one with the broken molar is the most urgent and more expensive because it's more complicated. The cavities all cost different amounts due to the different kinds of work needed on each; I added them up into a batch.

The fact is, I am strapped at the moment, as most of us are in this economy. I can pay up front for none of this; even getting the exam done wiped me out to a nigh-dangerous degree. So, how much of this I can manage to get done will depend on how much I manage to raise. I am assuming it won't be all of it, and please know that I feel no disappointment or resentment because of that. It's rough out there right now, and you all need to take care of yourselves and your families first and foremost.

I feel the need to add again the thing I always do: if you're even seeing this, it's probably because you're a reader of my work, and to me, that means you owe me nothing and I'm already deeply grateful to you. You folks are literally the thing that keeps me going. As much as I may need help at the moment, you have already helped me and I want you to feel no guilt if you can't do anything more. You've done enough, and I will always appreciate you.

But to summarize, in the words of someone I relate to more and more as time goes by: "Well, I've Arquin'd myself good and proper this time."

Thank you for reading. I earnestly hope you go on to have a better day than I am. You deserve it.