Hi, my name is Steve Flato. I am a disabled individual on a fixed income and I need dental surgery to fix my teeth. I have type-2 diabetes, Crohn's disease, and a number of mental health issues and have been on disability for the past year or so. It has been tight, but I've been able to pay my rent and cost of living; however, anything above that is out of the question. I am trying to raise $7500 to cover the cost of the multiple procedures needed.

I know lots of terrible shit is happening everywhere in the world right now that I shouldn't be care about something as trivial as my teeth and my appearance. But it would make my life a lot better to get my smile back, and make me feel a lot better about myself and improve my mental health. I lost my two front bottom teeth about six years ago when I developed Crohn's Disease and had an all-body inflammation response which basically pushed the teeth right out of my head.

I'm disabled and on a fixed income, so there's no way I can make this work without crowdfunding and also selling most of my instruments. So if you give, not only are you helping me with my dental surgery, you're helping me to be able to continue making music (I will regardless-- I'll always find a way-- but these are the instruments I have chosen and gravitated towards and practiced with. I would prefer to keep some.

So: If you're able to, please give to my dental surgery GoFundMe. I need two more teeth pulled, and then they want to install two implants and a bridge. I have had a removable denture before and it fell apart, and I did not enjoy using it. I would rather save up for a longer time so I can get the implants + bridge I really want.

I'm getting this done at UB Dental with a resident there, which is the absolute cheapest option considering I cannot travel outside the country for surgery due to concerns about my other health conditions like diabetes. I have to be really careful, as even UB Dental School will not operate on me if my diabetes is uncontrolled over a certain level.

I am being seen by a resident at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, which I found in search of the absolute lowest cost to get these fixed. I waited on the waiting list for over a year to be seen. My resident has planned to pull the two surrounding teeth and install implants and a bridge. I was told the total is around $7500, which I cannot afford on my fixed income.

Funds will be used exclusively towards this surgery. Any excess funds will be used to support my overall health by purchasing specialty diabetic food items, transportation to and from the dentist, etc. I was told I cannot participate in the surgery if my diabetes is uncontrolled so that is a concern as well, and diabetic food is expensive.