Joy vs. the Motorcycle Accident: Implant Edition

Forty years ago, before I was born, my Aunt Joy was driving a motorcycle and crashed, taking a huge bite out of the asphalt. She knocked out her three front teeth, fractured her right cheek bone, and had various other scrapes, stitches, and bruises on her face. She required reconstructive surgery (before and after shots above), after which she really thought this was just a blip on the radar screen of her life. 

Fast forward 40 years, 3 dental bridges, a number of root canals, and many thousands of dollars later, and she is back in the dentist's chair for another major dental procedure. A normal bridge has been ruled out, given the many complications and the related  bone loss. So she is facing a bridge implant involving 8 teeth - the 3 false teeth resulting from the accident and 5 supporting teeth that have held the 3 dental bridges over the years. All those pearly whites are an expensive proposition! 

While she has been able to manage the costs independently over the last forty year, Aunt Joy is also a stroke survivor and lives on a  fixed income, making it very hard to generate the extra funds needed. She has Medicare, but no supplemental insurance and Medicare does not cover the dental care needed. Care Credit is helping by giving her the first year to pay what she owes interest free.

The total cost of the procedure is estimated at $12,000 and the initial procedure has been completed. A number of members of our family have agreed to pitch in, but we still have $5,000 to go and less than 6 months to raise it!

Aunt Joy has overcome a great number of obstacles in her life - she is resilient, independent, persistent and tenacious. And she hasn't done it alone - she's always had a circle of support and she needs a circle again today! Please consider a gift and help spread the word by sharing!