A Healthy Smile for Gabriel

I adopted my son Gabriel in May 2024 from Bulgaria. He is 4 years old and has special needs, and is an absolute delight! With any adoption, you are warned that there may be unexpected medical issues with your child that were not discovered abroad, and I went into this adoption fully ready to handle anything that came up. I was prepared for therapies, x-rays, MRIs, numerous pediatrician visits, specialist visits, and more. But I was NOT prepared for the extensive damage to his teeth and the bill that would come along with getting them fixed.

It's no secret that children who have been in an orphanage suffer severe neglect, and so oral hygiene isn't exactly high up on the list. What I learned when I first took him to the dentist here in North Carolina in June 2024 was that it is very common for bottles of sugar water to be given to babies in their cribs to make them stop crying, or for bottles of milk to be given to them as they fall asleep. The milk or sugar water then pools around the teeth and gums and begins the process of forming cavities as their teeth are not brushed or cared for. Simply google "orphans teeth" and you will see examples of what is happening in my son's mouth. Black holes are now there where cavities formed years ago and now the decay has turned the teeth black. The dentist said, "There are a minimum of 9 cavities, with a high likelihood of many more once we are able to x-ray his teeth. He will need a minimum of 3 hours of dental work, primarily crowns, and will need to be put under sedation due to the extensive work needed. Due to his special needs, we can't fix his teeth at the dentist's office. You will need to get his dental surgery at the local children's hospital, which will be more expensive," the dentist said.

UNC Children's Hospital is estimating $15,000 to fix his teeth, WITH INSURANCE! What a blow.... All I could think was how Gabriel doesn't deserve any of this. He was just a baby, and because of the neglect he suffered he has a mouth full of cavities which HAVE to be repaired NOW, because the next step is severe tooth pain due to the decay and he would need multiple baby root canals. He has 3-4 more years before his adult teeth grow in, so there is no choice here.... he has to have his teeth fixed or else he will be in pain. Which I can't allow... he has been through enough.

I researched medical grants for dental procedures and unfortunately many grantors do not offer funding for dental needs. I sent applications in anyway, spent hours making phone calls to charities, and spoke to social workers, all to no avail. There are no financial support options through any of these avenues. I have some money that I saved that can go towards this surgery, but I will still owe the hospital around $9,000 after the surgery, so I am hoping the generosity of my community will help me get closer to that goal.

I know there are many worthy causes in the world to support, so thank you for considering helping my son have a healthy smile. His dental surgery is January 28th and I appreciate any funds or prayers you can offer!