Help Me Save My Smile and My Future

Hey, I’m Ethan. I’m 26, and I’ve been working hard to rebuild my life after a long period of heartbreak, addiction, and survival.

A few years ago, I went through a really painful breakup. It wrecked me emotionally. I didn’t handle it well — I turned to fentanyl and other drugs to numb everything I was feeling. And for a while, I just disappeared into it.

During that time, I lost a lot — my direction, my health, and a piece of who I used to be. One night, I tripped and fell hard in a driveway, and it broke one of my front teeth in half. It wasn’t a fight or anything dramatic — just a bad fall during a really dark time.

What finally changed? In March 2023, I made a decision: I wanted to live a normal life instead of ending it all. I wanted to stop feeling like I was part of the filth and start being a contributing member of society again.

To get away from the people and places that kept pulling me down, I went to stay with my aunt near the Canadian border. I spent months drifting, trying to find myself and just feel normal again.

It wasn’t until reconnecting with my sober friend Tim and playing video games again that I found some stability. And only a few months ago did I really start to dive back into making games myself — turning my focus from survival to creation.

I’ve been clean since then. I’ve worked hard to pull myself out of that hole. I’m learning to build games from scratch, applying for jobs, working out, and trying every day to move forward. But this broken tooth has followed me into every room I walk into. I know it’s holding me back from getting hired, and honestly, it’s holding me back from fully feeling like myself again.

Two years ago, I finally got a root canal on it — after living with an exposed nerve for 38 days because I didn’t realize I needed to schedule it as an “emergency.” The pain was nonstop. I got through it, but they only gave me a temporary filling, and that’s now breaking down. If it fails, I’ll lose the tooth entirely.

The problem is: I’m on Oregon Health Plan (OHP), and they’ll only pay to remove the tooth and give me a denture. But I’m 26. I don’t want to start down a road of gum loss and more teeth dying off — not when the tooth can still be saved.

My dentist told me I just need braces first to adjust the position, then a crown to protect it. I’ve been quoted around $3,500 total, which I simply can’t afford on my own right now.

I’m not asking for pity. I’ve already made it through the hardest part — getting clean and staying clean. I just want the chance to move forward without my smile being something I have to hide.

If you’ve ever gone through heartbreak, addiction, or felt like one broken thing was holding you back from becoming who you’re meant to be — I hope you’ll understand. Even a small donation or a share would mean the world to me.

Thank you for reading. I’m not ashamed of my past — just ready to move past it.

The total cost for the braces and crown is $3,500. To cover GoFundMe’s payment processing fees and still receive the full amount, my goal is set at $3,600.