Howdy! I'm Sheila, a deafblind, autistic/ADHD person living in Oregon.

Recently, I had a chunk of molar come out of my mouth, and so I went to a purportedly neurodiversity-affirming dentist, my first visit to a dentist in 20 years. Unfortunately, what he found was not just the new cavity but nine more teeth need fillings, and I need a deep cleaning near the roots of my teeth as well as a wisdom tooth extraction.

All of this work will occur over eight appointments, not all at once in the same day, thankfully, but the estimate I was given was $3680 US with my Medicare Advantage plan. Because I am disabled, I am reliant on Social Security survivor's benefits, which isn't nearly enough to cover it all if I also want to eat and keep a roof over my head.