Help Jeanette smile again!

Hi, our names are Jose Suros & Maria Suros, we are fundraising for our daughter Jeanette Suros to bring back her beautiful smile and improve the dental function she lost due to Lyme disease. This will aid in her continued recovery from a devastating life-threatening disease. Lyme disease has tried to destroy her life from within by invading her body maliciously. Lyme disease is a devastating, debilitating, and life-threatening disease many do not know or understand what it does to the body of someone stricken by it. What is more alarming, the medical community is not up to par in properly treating it and possibly misdiagnosing it.

What would happen if you couldn’t smile?

What if an illness or serious accident damaged your teeth permanently? It would affect more than just your smile. It would have a detrimental effect on your well-being, confidence, and overall health. Not having proper dental health, would prevent proper food mastication, food enjoyment, and eventual nutrient absorption impacting overall health plus proper Lyme or any disease recovery. Lyme disease affects various body systems such as the: immune, nervous, pulmonary, cardiovascular, skeletal, and gastrointestinal systems. As one can see, Lyme disease can impact all organs. One of the most dangerous impacts of Lyme disease is nutritional absorption. It deprives you horrifically of the ability to get the proper life needing nutrients to recover from the disease. Jeanette's nutritional absorption was also impacted negatively by Lyme disease. So as important it is to smile without having to hide it due to dental disfiguration, it’s very important to have functioning teeth for proper health and consumption of nutrients such as protein requiring proper food mastication.

It is devastating to see what has happened to our beautiful daughter, Jeanette. Lyme disease, which has slowly been destroying her body, is now destroying her teeth thru erosion that started about 6 months ago (mid-2022). Jeanette had a beautiful heart-warming smile that would melt an iceberg. People “judging” her is also an issue not knowing she is suffering from a devastating life-threatening disease. She misses who she was. She is a caring young woman that we are seeing withering away due to Lyme disease. She also feels the guilt of being a burden to family and friends. Jeanette wants her life back. She realizes the disease has damaged her body systems severely and now her teeth. Lyme disease has changed her forever and now wonders what her new normal will look like. The physical pain, mental torment, anguish, depression, body & organ destruction, and dental disfiguration is the result caused by a tiny deer tick carrying Lyme disease (Ixodes Scapularis). Jeanette still battling all the damage caused by Lyme disease and now has to deal with dental disfigurement and the ability to consume needed nutrients by mouth versus living with a feeding tube the rest of her life due to lack of proper food absorption and proper malnutrition.

Jeanette’s doctors are concerned about the tooth deterioration and the infection of several teeth leading to sepsis which we know is life-threatening. Jeanette’s dental situation is critical and if not resolved immediately, it will impede recovery from the illness which Jeanette is constantly battling. We will provide more details later on how Lyme disease has impacted Jeanette’s life. The Lyme bacterial infection harbored itself in the teeth's root canals. She always had beautiful straight teeth after orthodontic treatment as a teenager. Now she has to struggle with no smile and function of her teeth. Hopefully, the teeth could be repaired. Jeanette knows the smile will not be the same after restoration. However, it will mean the world emotionally to smile and not hide. Have the confidence again to smile and the function to masticate food normally…aid in nutrition and overall health & well being.

Below, will explain, in detail the estimated total Prosthodontic Treatment Plan and Restorative Dental Fee Schedule which is estimated at $ 65,790 (information obtained from the dental practice fee estimate which is detailed in full below). We have already incurred significant medical expenses and now we are incurring a huge dental expense to continue bringing Jeanette health, well-being, survival, and a smile. This cost is beyond our and Jeanette’s financial means. As everyone knows, dental insurance does not cover all the costs of extensive treatments as noted below. The dental office requires payment for all treatments as rendered. Jeanette requires the removal of damaged and unsightly diseased teeth pus periodontal disease and infected tissue treatment as a result of Lyme disease. Jeanette requires advanced technology that understands how to treat a fragile patient suffering from Lyme disease. It’s very saddening and emotionally draining to see a person lose a battle against Lyme disease. In addition, not being able to have a smile and endure a-dental disfigurement for life, if survived, due to Lyme disease. This disease has enslaved our daughter due to a tick. Donations are welcome as we try to get to our goal which is only for the treatment as mentioned and discussed in more detail below. We will keep everyone posted on progress.

A prosthodontist is a dentist who has completed dental school plus three additional years of advanced training and education in an ADA-accredited advance training prosthodontic graduate program. They specialize in treating and handling dental and facial problems that involve restoring and replacing teeth and contiguous structures.

The dental restorative treatments will be in Four Phases (outlined below). Jeanette has already lost teeth as-a-result of Lyme disease (not counting wisdom teeth). She is scheduled to begin Phase One of prosthodontic treatment and restorative treatment in mid-February. Phase Two will be about two-three months after the healing of the gums due to teeth extraction. Phase Three will then be three months after the completion of Phase Two. Phase Four will be the final restorative work.

Let’s discuss how Lyme disease has been destroying Jeanette from within. She has been battling Lyme disease since a 2017 tick bite with pain, sorrow, depression, desperation etc. She was treated with antibiotics as a normal medical protocol. In 2019, she was again bitten by a deer tick which led to devastation in her body as a result. The tick bite led to Lyme disease and meningitis as a result. In 2020, the Covid pandemic limited access to proper medical care when she needed it the most. She is now limited in the use of antibiotics and has developed numerous food allergies. As a result, the progression of Lyme disease has led to an advanced stage disease impacting all the body systems previously discussed. In addition, food absorption (a Lyme disease condition not well known apparently in the medical community) has also impacted her recovery. She has been in and out of hospitals in the last few years battling this disease and keeping her alive. Jeanette received a treatment requiring high levels of oxygen (Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment) to assist in eradicating Lyme and coinfections from the body. The sad part is the damage to the body was already done. The goal was to try eradicating many bacteria, viral, fungal, and parasitic Lyme. Due to her immune system being compromised, she acquired Covid in May 2022 & Sept 2022 and amazingly survived. The teeth deterioration issues began in 2021 requiring some treatments like pulling off some teeth and a root canal. In Mid-2022, Jeanette’s rapid deterioration of her teeth began to worsen progressively due to Lyme disease. Her teeth condition is a serious condition that can impact recovery and the battle against Lyme disease.

Many doctors are not adequately educated on the chronic aspects of tick-borne diseases and their bacterial and viral counterparts. Jeanette regularly has to carry medical journal articles to show doctors the evidence of how advanced Lyme makes a mess of many of the body’s systems. The medical community is still learning what is Lyme disease and how it destroys human life. The insurance companies do not cover treatments like Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment. So, Insurance companies will not cover the full extent of her needed care, including extensive dental treatments.

The dental community also is not up to par with Lyme disease either. Jeanette has found two dental practices in Pennsylvania that understand how to treat patients with Lyme disease and offer a solution as part of her recovery.

Below outline, in detail, the cost for this young lady (Jeanette, our beautiful daughter) to smile again, have a dental function, and aid in her Lyme disease survival and recovery battle.

Phase One:

The upcoming oral surgery under general anesthesia in mid-February will require the removal of 9 teeth (#’s: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 21 and 29. In addition, elimination of tooth decay and placement of fillings (6 teeth: #’s 3, 2, 12, 13, 14, and 18). After this operative dentistry, provisional restorations (prosthodontists) will be implemented. Maxillary (upper) arch and mandibular (lower) arch. The dental cost will be: $6,750 and the estimated 3-hour procedure assisted by an anesthesiologist will be about $2,825 (3-hour procedure). Total Phase One of prosthodontic treatment and restorative treatment will equal about $9,575.

Phase Two:

Re-evaluate 2-3 months after Phase 1 under general anesthesia to proceed with the First Stage of Osseointegration surgery. CT Scan with a detailed radiology report completed by a Maxillofacial Radiology. An extensive procedure to surgically place and permanently fix 7 implants. Then followed by a process that dramatically benefits loose, missing or decayed teeth and calls for a modification of provisional restorations following fixture installation. Using existing maxillary and mandibular partials. Finally, immediate loading of implants with abutments. Dental Cost: $29,215. Anesthesiologist cost estimate: $2,825 (estimated 3-hour procedure). Total cost for Phase Two: $32,040.

Phase Three:

Second re-evaluation 3 months after Phase Two. Selection of teeth made for final restoration (esthetic re-evaluation). No additional cost for Phase Three.

Phase Four:

Final restoration process. The maxillary (upper) arch with porcelain tissue integrated prosthesis supported by standard osseointegrated fixture for teeth #’s 5-10 at $2,150 each (cost $10,750). The mandibular (lower) arch process as above for teeth #’s 19-21 and 28-30 at $2,150 each (cost $ 12,900). Total cost for Phase Four: $23,650.

Additional Expenses: During Phase One, there may be hard relines as needed at $400. In addition, periodic hygiene visits are $175 each. Three Dental Hygiene Visits total cost: $525.

Additional Information: The acrylic provisional implant prosthesis is intended to function only during the first three months of treatment. Three months following the initial installation of the provisional prosthesis, final impressions must be taken for fabrication and delivery of the final metal-reinforced prosthesis. Extended wear of the provisional prosthesis beyond the prescribed period may require repair or replacement, which will increase the overall cost of treatment. Repairs will be provided to any damage on any delivered final prosthesis for 1 year at no charge. There will be a clinical fee for repairs, modifications and adjustments at that time.

A fee will be requested for the replacement of worn or fractured materials (acrylic, porcelain, metal attachments, implant components, etc.). A comprehensive maintenance and recall program will be developed to meet the specific needs of the completed treatment. Three months of hygiene recall is recommended during the first year, during which the dentist will need time to do screw checks on those restorations that have exposed screws. If the patient demonstrates good home care, then they can back the recall off to 4-6 months at the discretion of the hygienist and the doctor. Some patients may need a yearly removal and replacement at an additional charge if they are unable to keep the restorative clean.

Periodontal and prosthodontic supervision will be coordinated to reinforce effectively the disease control methods experienced through the therapeutic phases of treatment. If additional temporary restorations are requested, additional costs will be incurred.