Help Steph Smile Again: A Fundraiser for Urgent Dental Care

Kimberly Cerullo organise cette cagnotte au nom de Stephanie Jacobs.

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My name is Kim Cerullo, and I am raising funds for a dear member of my chosen family and community: Stephanie Jacobs. If you’re reading this right now, you may be one of Steph’s friends or family members, or perhaps one of mine who saw Steph support me as one of my bridesmaids. You may be one of the folks who know them from their real estate career, where they have helped many people (including me) achieve the dream of buying a house and starting a beautiful new chapter of life. You might even be one of the members of Facebook groups that Steph frequents where they support people who may be in need of a listening ear (sharing a cat picture or two along the way).

I think one of my favorite things about Steph is their smile, which is why we need your help. Steph does not have dental insurance and has not always been able to access the dentist, but was finally able to get dental care a few weeks ago. There, the dentist informed Steph that they had advanced gum disease, and that they needed urgent treatment from the periodontic team at River Valley Periodontics & Implant Dentistry. The alternative, the care team said, was loss of teeth in addition to permanent bone and tissue loss in the jaw. This level of disease and deterioration is unusual for someone Steph’s age. The dentist speculated that this may be due to a connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, that can impact dental health . According to the periodontist, this same condition also makes Steph a poor candidate for the surgical procedures typically used to treat this kind of dental disease. Instead, the care team suggested a laser-based treatment as the best and safest course of action.

That's where you come in. These procedures, while necessary to preserve Steph's teeth and health, are costly. Options to reduce these costs are limited. Even if Steph was able to secure dental insurance, this course I'd treatment would NOT be covered as it is not the typical "on-label" surgical treatment for this type of gum disease.

We need your support to help Steph access following treatments:

Two sessions of laser therapy: This will allow the periodontist to find and eliminate the pockets of infection in the tissue of the gums and the bone of the jaw.
Dental occlusion adjustment and splinting: A bracket will be added to Steph’s bottom teeth to hold them in alignment. The lack of pressure placed on misaligned teeth during daily activities like chewing can cause tissue and bone loss in patients like Steph.
A single filling for a cavity.
Finally, the periodontist suggested a night guard to reduce grinding and pressure on the teeth.

This combination of necessary treatments will cost an estimated $5,850. We have set the goal at $7,000 with the understanding that additional follow-up visits may be necessary to keep Steph healthy and safe. If less treatment is needed, we will adjust this fundraiser accordingly.

Please consider donating to this fundraiser, or share it if you cannot. Steph’s smile and health are both precious, and I hope we can preserve them together.