Hi everyone, Joe Wiltse here. I'm writing today about my brother Jake Wiltse, who you probably know from the Grand Rapids music scene, through his work as an accounts payable clerk for Kent County, MI, or from his previous work as a custodian at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Jake has major dental surgery coming up on May 21, 2025, to address advanced periodontitis and bone loss that is affecting all of his teeth.

Jake has had dental issues for much of his life, but things got serious two years ago when he developed an infection in one of his top back molars. After years of scraping by living paycheck-to-paycheck, coupled with a lifelong anxiety surrounding doctor and dentist visits, it had been years since his last dental appointment. Jake was diagnosed with advanced periodontitis and bone loss and was told that he would eventually lose his teeth one by one, putting him at risk for further infection and other complications.

As an added bonus, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and told that he couldn't get dental work done until he had his blood sugar under control (hyperglycemia increases your risk of infection and complicates the healing process).

Over the last two years since his initial diagnosis, Jake's had multiple appointments with specialists to determine the best course of action (he's also reduced his A1C, through medication and lifestyle changes, to nearly non-diabetic levels). He was given two options: removable dentures or permanent implants. Both options require extraction of all of his teeth.

Due to Jake’s extremely sensitive gag reflex, the full-palate dentures are not a viable solution. That leaves him with the All-On-4 implant procedure. This involves drilling metal posts into his jawbone and attaching a full set of replacement teeth made from a durable ceramic called zirconia.

The procedure would be life-changing. It would also put Jake in debt for most of his 40s.

Jake's dental surgeon quoted him $26,950 per arch (top and bottom), totaling $53,900, which they agreed to discount to $50,000. This is the number if he pays out of pocket, which includes extraction, anesthesia, and everything else. If he were to use his dental insurance through his job at the county, they would have to itemize each step of the process down to the individual tooth, which would come out to over $10,000 more. His dental insurance through Varipro has a MAXIMUM benefit of only $2,500 per year per individual.

Jake has a financing plan in place, but it will consist of heavy payments for the next six years. On his salary as a county clerk, that will mean six years without contributing to savings, or a safety net, or the purchase of a home.

Even if this campaign weren't successful, he would still go through with the surgery. It'd be worth it just to be able to smile again. I'm putting this GoFundMe together not to pay for his entire surgery, but to at least lighten his financial burden. If you have the means to contribute, and if Jake has had an impact on your life for the better in some way, I'd ask you to consider it.

With love and gratitude,

Joe Wiltse