Help Megan Get a New Smile!

Hello friends, family, and any kind strangers who happen upon this fundraising page

I really appreciate you all taking the time to hear my story Some of you know my long history with dental struggles, but for those who may not- here it is:

For the past decade, my dental health has been in serious decline. Starting with my first pregnancy, several of my teeth started to crumble with very little warning. However, it wasn't until my third pregnancy that the correlation between my pregnancies and my dental decline was discovered.

With each pregnancy (the only times I've had insurance, Medicaid, in my adult life)- I would be able to see a dentist that would do their best to repair and mediate damage; only to have the repairs fall apart soon after because my teeth were not strong enough to hold onto them. At the end of my third pregnancy, I was missing a third of my teeth. And not long after, the ones that I still had we're breaking under the strain of unnatural chewing patterns.

With my 4th pregnancy, it all went downhill very quickly. I was told that there was very little hope of rebuilding any of my remaining natural teeth and that my only really viable long term option was to have them all pulled and have a full set of dentures made.

As a young (ish) mom of 4, this news was very difficult to digest. If I'm being honest, I'm still struggling with the idea. I've spent the past 2 years trying to come to terms with it, and I feel that I'm finally in a place of acceptance. I'm ready to not live in constant pain and to be able to confidently interact with the public again (a year and a half of masks has been a blessing, lol). And now there is even more at stake.

As many of you know from my recent announcement- I've made the decision to go back to school to work on my Graduate studies and pursue a career as a Public School Counselor. This has been a dream of mine since before I had children, and taking the steps to start working on this path is most exciting! But when I stopped to take inventory of my life and the steps I would need to take in order to achieve these goals, I came to the realization that fixing my dental situation was one of the first (and arguably most important) parts of that process. Not only is the pain a drain on my already precious energy, my focus, and my ability to take on this extra challenge- but I can't imagine I would be very effective in my role of supporting and empowering future students when I am struggling with pain and low self esteem. This career path is going to have me interacting with a large number of people, and I'd love to be able to put my best foot- er - smile forward

So, there it is- my tale of unfortunate circumstances. But my story isn't over yet! I am determined to do what it takes to move forward, and then I will hopefully be able to put myself in a position to create a true difference in the world with my efforts.

I've taken the first hard step- attending a consultation appointment at Affordable Dentures- and now I am equipped with the knowledge of what the procedures will be and how much it will all cost. Unfortunately, despite efforts to secure funding, I have been unable to qualify for medical credit to meet these costs.

My husband and I have crunched the numbers and have been able to wiggle the tiniest bit of money from our future monthly budgets to help save up for the procedure, but it will realistically take several years to do so (especially given our luck and the amount of curve balls that life just loves to throw our way...).

And, so, it is with all of this that I ask for your help. Any amount you are willing and able to donate will be a huge help in meeting my goal and getting me closer to a new smile! I know that there are so many people struggling with a myriad of difficult and devastating circumstances, and it feels almost selfish to seek help for something that seems so superficial. But I can tell you that any amount of help, love, and support I receive will mean THE WORLD to me ❤️