Despite having dental insurance, I need some major dental work that my insurance will not cover. I remember when I was younger and smiled my biggest smile freely. Due to a history of childhood trauma and PTSD, I have neglected my dental care and developed dentophobia as an adult. My smiles have become far more reserved. This is something I don’t often share with people and since I still smile a lot, it may not be apparent that I experience a lot of anxiety about it. Masking has made me hyper aware of the change in me because I can smile my biggest smile again behind my mask. What was anxiety about my smile has turned into some significant pain this week and an urgent procedure with more to follow to both save and replace my teeth. I have been consistently working with a therapist and doing EMDR on the phobia and it is getting better. Due to that progress, I will accrue about $18,000 in dental care expenses over the next year. Our family frequently supports every community we are a part of and I decided after much internal debate, that it would be okay for me to ask for this help with a portion of the costs. Thank you for your consideration and generosity.