Hello! My name is Lindsay, I am 42 years old and desperately trying to get my smile back. As difficult as this is to talk about, I am going to allow myself to be extremely vulnerable and talk about my serious health issue, despite it being something most people don’t discuss openly. I appreciate all of you who follow along and support me during this time.

No, I don’t have cancer. Most people discuss that openly. My journey began back in 2017, while pregnant with my child I was told I’d never have from a young age. I noticed my teeth were becoming more brittle. Plaque I’d scrape away revealed the early signs of decay. By 2018, I had molar after molar extracted. I changed to various electric toothbrushes, tried different rinses, and home remedies. It didn’t matter what I did, my oral health continued to decline at an alarmingly rapid rate. In March of this year, a tooth became infected at the root and my face swelled some. My dentist put me on antibiotics and extracted the broken tooth later that week. That was when the reality of my situation was revealed on x-ray. Our plan to fix the teeth I had left and do a partial went out the window. I was devastated and frustrated, as Medicaid covers extractions but does not pay for ANY part of fillings or root canals.

August 9th, my face had swollen up so badly on the right side, I could barely open my right eye. Two broken teeth are infected at the root and I drove myself to the ER for IV antibiotics. I learned that my insurance dropped my dentist (this has happened numerous times) so I searched for another dentist and made my appointment after clearly explaining the emergency situation. I finished my last oral antibiotic the evening before the appointment and the next day, left in tears because they couldn’t extract that day. Somehow the severity of my situation wasn’t passed along. Today, August 22nd, I’m still waiting and praying my face doesn’t swell again because that pain was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced.

In the meantime, I’ve spent my days consulting with surgeons who do permanent dental implants in both Baton Rouge and Metairie. I FINALLY learned the cause of my sudden and serious dental decay and the impact my condition has on my overall health. It rocked me to my core. Medications I have to take for the rest of my life caused “dry mouth,” and this was the first time I learned I had dry mouth. The lack of saliva allows for dental decay to progress very rapidly if not addressed. Had I known I had dry mouth I would have taken measures to correct it! The main culprit, Keppra (anticonvulsant), is something I took during my pregnancy and was the reason I was “high risk” pregnancy. So little is known about the medication/pregnancy, I had to be monitored by MFM. What they didn’t check were my teeth! But, why would they? This is a medication I must take for the rest of my life. The other medications are Lexapro, OTC Zyrtec, and Flonase. I have chronic sinusitis and had two complete sinus surgeries 1 year apart in 2021-22. I have to use those medications to take care of my sinuses. Again, ENT did not show any concern for the addition of more meds with the same side effect, and I never thought to either.

Currently, the urgent health concerns I’m faced with because of periodontal disease and multiple infections at the roots of existing teeth in my mouth are:

1. At any moment, one or more of the infected tooth roots will cause my face to swell up in pain again and I will need MORE IV antibiotics. Until all remaining teeth are extracted, this will continue to happen.

2. My risk of cancer due to periodontal disease has increased by 24%! I am already at elevated risk of developing the breast cancer that killed my mother when she was 42, based on genetic testing I had done.

3. The longer my existing teeth are in my mouth, the risk of infection entering my bloodstream and going to my heart and/or brain increases.

I am most likely going to have my surgery done at Clear Choice in Metairie. After weighing the pros/cons of each surgeon, I feel like this is my best option. My reasons for this decision are because of my young age and needing full upper and lower permanent implants, there will come a time (20+ years from now) when I’ll need some part of my implants fixed. They offer a lifetime guarantee on the permanent teeth. I’ll also need yearly maintenance appointments and Metairie isn’t far. I also worry about post-op issues and having someone on-call to reach after hours, and they provide that.

Finally, finances. We used to be a single-car family, so I was a stay-at-home mom until the 2024-25 school year. I got my car and immediately got a job working as a substitute teacher with LPSB and shortly after, got hired as an RTI at my daughter’s school. I got certified as a paraprofessional as a requirement for the position. RTI is a yearly contract position and at the end of the school year, most of us on contract found out they wouldn’t be renewed the following year. It’s not uncommon. This school year I am substitute teaching again, however, I’m limited on how much I can work due to the ongoing dental infections.

3rd party financing companies are available to me and I will apply for as much as I can get. Since I started working I also began building credit for myself for the past year. I’m not sure how much I’ll be approved for due to the limited time I’ve been building credit.

I did not want to ask anyone for help, but the reality is I simply cannot afford $58,000 (August discount would make the cost $52,200.) I am going to need help. There’s just no other way. My mom/dad and immediate family died when my sisters and I were just kids so I don’t have them to lean on in my times of need. When I rejected the idea of doing a fund, friends reminded me of how much I’ve done for others…raising money for a friend’s widow after his sudden death, helping my best friend who was dying of cancer and being a caregiver who took care of her needs the last year of her life…the stray dog I rescued, vetted/neutered and found a home for…I raised money to have him humanely transported 22 hours to his forever home. Last year, my daughter and I were the top fundraisers in our school for St. Jude and top sellers in another school fundraiser. Charity is important to me and something I’ve taught my daughter to prioritize. Thinking back on some of that made me put my pride to the side and be okay with asking for help.

Anyone who chooses to donate, first let me assure you my appreciation comes with tears of hope and joy. I think the full amount is due prior to the first appointment, which is when we pick out teeth, size, and shade. I will post an update when I find out how much financing I’m approved for and adjust the fund amount accordingly. I plan to post videos and photos of my experience as well. Maybe it will help someone else come out of the darkness of fear and begin their journey to smile again. For any of you who have questions, please feel free to message me.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME!

**Edit- I have not excluded dental schools. They might be my only option. The reason I’m fighting to have my surgery/procedures done elsewhere is because these surgeons don’t like doing maintenance on other surgeon’s work. Some refuse. Sometimes during surgery there’s an issue and the surgeon has to compensate for it. When I return a year later for my maintenance visit, a dental student won’t know about said issue and could potentially break my implants. Also, after both surgeries I’ve had at LSU, I came home and they’d made errors on my prescriptions and the pharmacy refused to fill until the doctors sent over a new prescription. LSU had no on-call staff. I was left in miserable pain until the next day. But, if dental schools are my only option, I will have my surgery there because my life is more important!