Help Rescue My Teeth
Donation protected
Hello, friends, family, and everybody in between.
I need help. I know there are people in the world suffering more than me at any given moment. I know some people say that crowdfunding for yourself is unethical or an example of privilege in action. But I also know that I need help. I've needed help for a long time and have tried to make it for myself to avoid the guilt that I inevitably will feel as somebody who has had little choice but to accept assistance in one way or another for their entire life. I don't want this to be a sob story. I just want to be my usual honest self. So here is why I fnally decided to ask.
I have several unresolved and somewhat critical dental problems which have been ongoing for my entire adult life due to little/poor dental care in my teens. I have no insurance and have not had success finding affordable insurance that covers the care I require. In 2013 I began seeing who I deem to be an amazing dentist and an amazing person, Dr. Vincent Guido, after receiving a recommendation from one of my best friends. A molar that had been filled along with 3 others during a dental appointment I attended in highschool had broken open. I was an emotional wreck after hearing the state of the tooth that had broken and my other teeth and Dr. Guido and his staff made me feel genuinely cared for. I was informed that the fillings by the dentist I went to in high school had been done shoddily and contributed to further decay under the surface of at least 4 of my molars. They wrote up a treatment plan and for the last few years I have paid about $8,000+ out of pocket and taken care of my teeth as well as I could, only to chase my tail with one problem getting worse as one would be fixed. All the while, my fully grown-in wisdom teeth are in need of removal due to decay from not being able to properly brush them under slight cover of my gums. The tooth that I originally went to get repaired had been temporarily fixed so that we could catch up on the rest of the fillings I needed. Ultimately that tooth and one other require crowns and two other cavities I have are close to the same condition but for the time being only need regular fillings. I'm finding it hard to think of anything but these problems as I work hard and contribute where I am able but there is a constant soreness coming from all angles of my mouth and leaving me wondering if I'll have to lose my teeth. I'm scared and stressed and sad because of this much of the time when otherwise I would be able to live a somewhat postive and charmed life. I fear that if I can't tackle these problems all at once, I will never be able to fulfill my goals and make a good life for myself. That I will be chasing these problems for years and never get anywhere. I can't chew with the side of my mouth containing the original broken tooth because I'm afraid it will break again, as well as the other that needs a crown just below it.
It has taken a lot for me to type this all out and my heart is about to fly out of my chest, but I just needed to do it. I have always been taught to accept help when it's offered, but I avoid taking on social debts if I can avoid it. The guilt can be killer, but this time I just have to be true to how I feel and just ask.
Any amount is appreciated, but don't feel obligated to donate at all. Don't donate if you can't afford to. But know that if you do, it will not be in vain. I will cherish any assistance I receive for the rest of my life. It will change the trajectory of my quality of life too greatly not to.
My treatment plan is at $4,111 as of my last dentist visit almost a year ago, broken down as follows:
$670 for two fillings
$1,599 for each of the two required crowns
$243 for hygiene
After all of this, I will need to take care of my wisdom teeth extraction but will need to see an oral surgeon to find out the total amount for that.
In no way do I expect to reach this full amount from gofundme alone, but I will take all the help I can get.
If you have advice on where to find lower cost dental care in Lafayette or West Lafayette that doesn't spare quality, please message me. Same goes for oral surgery. Maybe I can get this work done for less.
To conclude, I'll say that if you don't think I deserve help or that this is me begging or being entitled; know that I work hard for what I am able to have and try to put nothing but positivity into the world while I do it. If you think I'm wrong for asking for help, I remind you that you do not have to donate to me. Please do not try to add negativity where it is not needed.
Thank you to anybody who read this and absolutely thank you if you believe my cause is worthy.
So much love,
Sam
I need help. I know there are people in the world suffering more than me at any given moment. I know some people say that crowdfunding for yourself is unethical or an example of privilege in action. But I also know that I need help. I've needed help for a long time and have tried to make it for myself to avoid the guilt that I inevitably will feel as somebody who has had little choice but to accept assistance in one way or another for their entire life. I don't want this to be a sob story. I just want to be my usual honest self. So here is why I fnally decided to ask.
I have several unresolved and somewhat critical dental problems which have been ongoing for my entire adult life due to little/poor dental care in my teens. I have no insurance and have not had success finding affordable insurance that covers the care I require. In 2013 I began seeing who I deem to be an amazing dentist and an amazing person, Dr. Vincent Guido, after receiving a recommendation from one of my best friends. A molar that had been filled along with 3 others during a dental appointment I attended in highschool had broken open. I was an emotional wreck after hearing the state of the tooth that had broken and my other teeth and Dr. Guido and his staff made me feel genuinely cared for. I was informed that the fillings by the dentist I went to in high school had been done shoddily and contributed to further decay under the surface of at least 4 of my molars. They wrote up a treatment plan and for the last few years I have paid about $8,000+ out of pocket and taken care of my teeth as well as I could, only to chase my tail with one problem getting worse as one would be fixed. All the while, my fully grown-in wisdom teeth are in need of removal due to decay from not being able to properly brush them under slight cover of my gums. The tooth that I originally went to get repaired had been temporarily fixed so that we could catch up on the rest of the fillings I needed. Ultimately that tooth and one other require crowns and two other cavities I have are close to the same condition but for the time being only need regular fillings. I'm finding it hard to think of anything but these problems as I work hard and contribute where I am able but there is a constant soreness coming from all angles of my mouth and leaving me wondering if I'll have to lose my teeth. I'm scared and stressed and sad because of this much of the time when otherwise I would be able to live a somewhat postive and charmed life. I fear that if I can't tackle these problems all at once, I will never be able to fulfill my goals and make a good life for myself. That I will be chasing these problems for years and never get anywhere. I can't chew with the side of my mouth containing the original broken tooth because I'm afraid it will break again, as well as the other that needs a crown just below it.
It has taken a lot for me to type this all out and my heart is about to fly out of my chest, but I just needed to do it. I have always been taught to accept help when it's offered, but I avoid taking on social debts if I can avoid it. The guilt can be killer, but this time I just have to be true to how I feel and just ask.
Any amount is appreciated, but don't feel obligated to donate at all. Don't donate if you can't afford to. But know that if you do, it will not be in vain. I will cherish any assistance I receive for the rest of my life. It will change the trajectory of my quality of life too greatly not to.
My treatment plan is at $4,111 as of my last dentist visit almost a year ago, broken down as follows:
$670 for two fillings
$1,599 for each of the two required crowns
$243 for hygiene
After all of this, I will need to take care of my wisdom teeth extraction but will need to see an oral surgeon to find out the total amount for that.
In no way do I expect to reach this full amount from gofundme alone, but I will take all the help I can get.
If you have advice on where to find lower cost dental care in Lafayette or West Lafayette that doesn't spare quality, please message me. Same goes for oral surgery. Maybe I can get this work done for less.
To conclude, I'll say that if you don't think I deserve help or that this is me begging or being entitled; know that I work hard for what I am able to have and try to put nothing but positivity into the world while I do it. If you think I'm wrong for asking for help, I remind you that you do not have to donate to me. Please do not try to add negativity where it is not needed.
Thank you to anybody who read this and absolutely thank you if you believe my cause is worthy.
So much love,
Sam
Organizer
Samuel A. Leming
Organizer
West Lafayette, IN
