Help Me Get My Bite Back

Hello, my name is La Reina, I'm a Visual & Performing Artist in New Orleans and I need your help.

I've been a Service Worker and Self-Employed Artist for the majority of my adult life, battling with the weight of poverty for my entire life, which means living without access to or the affordability of dental care for many very formative years. Even in this year, with rising personal costs, setting aside funds to care for my health, even preventative care, has increasingly become difficult, and I've pushed off asking for help for too long.

Dental health is more than just cosmetics; it is life- and career-saving health care that our systems don't provide equitably, especially for growing artists.

With time and the neglect of professional care, my teeth & gum health have been failing, leaving me with more moments of pain, discomfort, and difficulty with eating, and I'm concerned about the future of my jaw and gum health despite the amount of home remedies that have kept them as healthy as I could with my resources. Several months ago, I had an old tooth removed that was causing flu-like symptoms and had hoped to start my journey towards a healthier mouth then; however, I was unable to afford to return to the dentist and continued to push it off until I had the excess funds to care for something so incredibly important. But I have not been able to build that foundation despite all of my efforts.

https://bitebackburlesque.eventbrite.com

So, with love for those who wish to support this journey, I am asking for assistance in any way that you can to help me get my "Bite Back".

On July 28th, I am hosting a benefit show at The Allway Lounge- Bite Back Burlesque: a Goth-Industrial Benefit Show with performances, art, merchandise, and more, all of which will go towards building a better bite for myself and my future.

This GoFundMe is open to my community near and far, wanting to assist, spread the love and care, and support me on this journey. Funding here will be raised for booking and paying for the initial cleaning and consultation, beginning a dental plan to assist in covering the heavier procedures that might be needed such as Implants, Grafting, Scaling & Root Planning or more.

Other ways to also support is by buying merch and prints, hiring me for gigs or photoshoots, and sharing this with your community.

https://bio.site/theofficiallareina

I am incredibly thankful for your care and love!

All my love,

La Reina