My name is Alyssa and I am 32 years old. I am a mother to three amazing kids that are 10, 11 and 12 years old. During my first pregnancy I was sitting outside my waitress job and for the first time in my life a tooth just fell strait out my mouth. I cried bc i take good care of my teeth. Growing up, I never had a pretty smile, but I took care of them. My parent couldn’t afford braces, so I’ve never had a smile I could smile without being self-conscious about. Well, after I lost the first tooth, I asked my doctor why it happened. They informed me I had a severe calcium deficiency. The baby was taking so much of my scarce calcium it was actually sucking it all and causing me to lose my teeth. I was pregnant for almost 3 years between the 3 babies I had back-to-back. Over that time I sadly had to watch my teeth go one by one. By the time it was over, I had lost so many I couldn’t smile anymore.
When my oldest was about 5 years old, I was in a marriage that was abusive. My husband at the time was an alcoholic, and he liked to hit me. He knocked out 6 teeth over our 8 year marriage. Now here I am at 32 years old, and I have NO top teeth left at all. I cannot smile; I barely talk. It has hindered me from jobs and dating and has made it almost impossible to eat anything except soft foods. I have looked for every possible thing that could help me. No luck. Since I’m not elderly or disabled. I don’t qualify for help. Where I live, there are no places to get dentures or implants. I have tried to see about financing; I don’t qualify. The denture place doesn’t take insurance, and Medicaid doesn’t cover “cosmetic” dentistry. I am so desperate to be like everyone else and be able to talk without thinking about every person I talk to, seeing as I HAVE NO TEETH. I can’t date because who wants a girl with no teeth? NO ONE. It affects every single part of my life. Not to mention the extreme PAIN I feel daily. It has brought me to my breaking point. How come every other person in the world can take for granted a simple smile? Yet here I am, praying, hoping, wishing just to be able to smile again. It’s so unfair. I have been so depressed I don’t like to leave my house anymore. It’s been something I have been so self-conscious about my entire life. I want it more than words could ever acknowledge.
I have been so close to just giving up on life because of this. My kids need me, though. I am so desperate; I’d do or give anything to be able to have teeth, eat food, smile, date, and talk again. So my last effort is this. Hoping and praying someone out there might read my story and help change my LIFE. Give me the GIFT OF LIFE AGAIN. I can not afford to pay for it. Times are tough nowadays, and everyone is struggling, I know, but if maybe this reaches the ONE person who could change my life, it will be worth going out my comfort zone and asking for HELP. So here I am. I’m asking in hopes that, by chance, someone out there can help change my life and give me the smile I have wanted my entire life. I just want to be able to speak without someone looking at my mouth. Something as simple as being able to confidently SMILE. So PLEASE if anyone out there can help, You would literally be SAVING THE LIFE OF A MOTHER WHO CAN’T DO IT HERSELF. I am a good person; I take care of my kids and myself. But this has me beat. I gave up my teeth for the lives of my amazing children. And my domestic abuser TOOK it from me. Every day, I see the reminder in the mirror, preventing me from healing. PLEASE, I NEED THIS. I’M BEGGING FOR THIS HELP. The dentist told me with the extractions it will cost $8000 to $9000 because the teeth are broken at the gumline; they are harder to remove. Then the denture cost on top of that. I wish I could get implants since I am so young. Those would be the best option. I don’t care if I just get a set of dentures; I’d be over the moon for just that. It would change every part of my life. Thank you for reading my post and if anyone can donate, every single penny I would be appreciative and blessed. Thank you