Support Brandon's Journey to a Healthy Smile

My name is Brandon. I am a single father of 5 perfect humans. As hard as it is for me to write this, it is even harder for me to ask for help. I am always the one going out of my way to help others, whether it’s family, friends, or strangers. I am always emptying my cup in order to fill others with joy and light. So here it is, I need help! I hate asking, but I’m at a crossroads where I don’t know what else to do.

At a young age, I was diagnosed with Enamel Hypoplasia, which is where the enamel of my teeth never fully formed, and what little I had was weak and brittle. I was constantly at the dentist's office as a kid and battled with cavities and teeth issues for most of my life. When I was in my teens, I had a bad motorcycle accident and basically ate my handlebars, breaking most of my top teeth out and ruining a lot of the bottom, as well as breaking a bunch of bones and getting some pretty gnarly wounds to add to it. I managed to get implants and have what teeth I had left fixed, and it lasted a while, but I started to have health issues. Long story short, about 8 years ago, they had to remove my implants due to an infection and faulty materials, as well as get a bone graft in my upper jaw. They said I would have to wait for it to heal before I could get implants again. They gave me a denture, but I was never able to keep it in. I have an extremely bad gag reflex, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get past the feeling of the palate of the denture. So I decided, screw it, I’m just not going to wear it, and I taught myself to talk and hide the fact that I was missing my tops.

I have saved up several times to go and get the process started for the All On Four denture implants, but every time I would get close, something would happen with one of my kids or a family member, and I would end up using the money to help. I have always put my children and my family ahead of myself. Even though this has caused me to be extremely depressed and is causing health issues, I still choose to put everyone before myself. These past two years have been extremely rough for me. I have been having other health issues that are caused by not being able to chew properly, as well as regular headaches. I have also been battling depression caused by this insecurity and miss so badly being able to smile and eat regularly. I am the happiest person you will ever meet, but I hardly smile because of this. I miss so badly being able to bust out laughing and have a good belly laugh without having to worry about hiding my smile.

I am now in the middle of a divorce as well and can’t help but feel like no one is going to want a 38-year-old single dad with a messed-up smile or lack of one. My children are now at the age where the younger ones like to ask questions and poke fun. Although I don’t take it personally, it still hurts and is hard to explain to them for them to understand. I feel ashamed when I’m hanging out with my older teen boys and their friends because I’m always afraid to be an embarrassment. I just want to feel normal again and crave the ability to smile and not be ashamed. This is so hard for me to ask for help, but I really want to get this going. I have reached out to tons of dental offices that specialize in the All On Four procedure and asked if they were looking for a spokesperson or someone who was willing to do the whole process and share their story, but I keep getting shut down and denied. I have applied for grants and have also been denied. My insurance will not cover it because it is considered cosmetic, and even if they did, it would only cover $1,000 worth of work a year.

If I manage to raise the money to get this done, I plan on documenting the entire process and sharing my journey! So if you can find it in your heart to donate even the smallest amount, I will forever be in your debt and forever grateful. Even if you can’t help, you would be helping me greatly if you could share this and help me reach out further in the hopes of raising the money or even possibly reaching a dental office that may be able to help! I appreciate you all more than you know, so thank you, even if you just take the time to read and share my story. Thank you!!!