Urgent dental treatment needed

*update*

£4400 of the above goal has been personally given to me today outside of gofundme!!

Hi! My name is Mary and this is really hard for me to send this out. However, I am in urgent need of dental treatment which is going to be incredibly costly.

Many of you who know me may not know that for various complex reasons, while growing up in Zimbabwe, I started having years of dental issues, starting with fillings as a young teenager, leaving most of my teeth heavily filled by my early 20's. When I came to the UK in 2000, sometime later I had four teeth extracted, three lower molars and one upper molar. I can't remember exactly when. In 2005 I was getting married to Bernard and was very conscious about my smile, and my front teeth that were also filled. My dentist told me that it wasn't simply a cosmetic issue, but it was affecting my bite, eating etc. At the time I was able to get 8 of my teeth crowned under NHS costs, most of these being my front top teeth. I have had continued dental work over the years, most of my teeth are filled, have had root canals, I have 13 crowns altogether, leaving 8 of my teeth untouched, these being my lower front ones, and bottom wisdom teeth.

I wouldn't be bringing this matter to light if it were not for recent developments. On the evening of August 28th 2023 I noticed a small bump above my right lateral incisor. I knew it was an abscess, and although it wasn't painful, I knew it needed attention. I took a photo and sent it to my dentist. They gave me an appointment and took X-rays. I was advised that there was an infection at the base of the tooth that needed specialist treatment not covered by the NHS. With root-filled crowned teeth, it is not simply a case of taking the crown off and clearing up the infection and putting the crown back on. The tooth in question will need to be replaced with an implant. This is something that is not covered by the NHS, but is specialist work. By the end of October the abscess was building considerably, and I have needed to release it on a daily basis, sometimes with a needle, which hasn't been pleasant.

I have been in touch with four dental specialists for their opinions, and to work out a solution. I am a very complex case and all have given pretty similar conclusions, that I will need implants. They have advised against getting treatment abroad, which, while it is cheaper, leads to all sorts of complications down the line should any problems arise, or if aftercare is needed.

I am needing urgent work on my front teeth, the infection of my right lateral incisor is eating away at the bone underneath and so that tooth needs to be removed as soon as possible so that the area can be cleaned and the space underneath heal. I have also been told from the X-rays and CT scan that the left lateral incisor is hanging on by a thread and has a hopeless prognosis, it could break off at any moment, and will need removal and an implant as well. The dentist noticed the two front crowns do not quite fit as they should so he wants to remove those at the same time, see what is happening underneath, find out the condition of what's left of the teeth underneath, and go from there. I may in the end need a four-tooth bridge hanging off the two side implants. Before that I will have a temporary bridge for my four front teeth. They will wait 3 months for healing to take place. I will need a bone graft where the bone has been infected. This is not an overnight fix and is done in stages, and will need months of work while my body heals.

All of this comes at a huge cost, £9815.00, and is not something that we have the money for. Two of the dentists I saw do not offer a finance option. The one we are proposing to use, Alan Wilson Dentistry in Epsom, does offer finance, but even so, if the application is approved, it is going to be incredibly expensive and monthly repayments around £500 per month at 0% finance over 18 months. I have all correspondence, including X-rays and photos from the dentists to support all I have mentioned and can send to anyone if required. I have a provisional appointment for 5th February to have the extractions done, maybe even sooner once I give them the go ahead and if they can fit me in earlier. The finance option needs to be applied for (like a loan would be), so it also depends on that being approved.

The consequences of not doing it would be that the infection in my gum would grow bigger, and I don't know what would happen next. It is getting harder to eat as well. I know that the tooth has to come out. Antibiotics would not have any impact on an infection of this nature. I have no choice but to get this done. This doesn't cover the fact that three of my other molar teeth that are root treated also have signs of infection at their bases, but the front ones are the ones that need urgent attention.

Aside from the physical effect, I am also struggling with the emotional impact this is having, and I am needing to get the work done as soon as possible.

If anyone feels led to help, any contribution would be hugely appreciated!