Help Me with My Dental Emergency

Hi everyone,

I never thought I’d be writing something like this, asking for help… but life (abroad) and my teeth had other plans.

A broken tooth and a large filling gave out. After an emergency visit to a local dentist, he said I need a root canal to save the tooth.

So far, I’ve already paid ¥10,190 for the initial visit, X-rays, and medication.

The full treatment is expected to be between $500 and $1,000 (¥80,000–¥150,000), but could reach up to $1,500 (about ¥220,000) if a crown is needed. Given the condition of the tooth, that’s likely.

Normally I’d just grit my teeth and handle it, but recently my work hours have been cut and my income has taken a huge hit. On top of that, I’m still paying off the emergency intestinal surgery I had in 2017 (midnight on Easter Sunday!) so my financial “buffer” is pretty much gone.

Right now I’m doing what I can to cover the costs myself, but I’m hoping to raise as much as possible to get this taken care of soon, before it's too late.

If you’re able to contribute, even a small amount would mean a lot to me. I'll never forget it.

And if you can't, even just sharing this link would be a great help to me.

Living abroad has its ups and down, but moments like this can feel terribly isolating. I still remember how much it meant to me after my surgery when I received all those get-well cards from my students. Right away I placed them all around my room so I could see them when I woke up every morning—usually in pain—not wanting to move.

Those cards, and the thoughtfulness behind them, gave me strength to hold on.

They saved me.

In every way.

Thank you for reading.

Robbie Reilly

Tokyo, Japan