r/AskForHelp • u/Ok-Hunter-6970 • 17m ago
dental help
Hi everyone. My name is Adriana. I’m 32, a wife, a mom of six, and currently a sophomore in college in Wisconsin. Writing this is incredibly uncomfortable for me, but I’ve reached a point where I don’t know what else to do. I’m in urgent need of extensive dental care. Right now, I’m looking at potentially having most or all of my teeth extracted, depending on what a dentist determines can still be saved. After that, I’ll need some form of restoration so that I can eat normally and finally have a smile again.
I do have state insurance, and I’m grateful to have it, but getting the level of dental treatment I need in a reasonable amount of time has been extremely difficult. I also don't have thousands of dollars available to pay for this myself.
I survived sexual, physical, and emotional abuse throughout my childhood. Hygiene was sometimes used as a form of punishment and control. When I fought back or refused what my father wanted from me sexually, basic things like being able to properly clean myself could be taken away from me. I wasn't allowed to simply feel clean or pretty, and even bathing could become something he controlled. My baby teeth were already rotting before I was six .I experienced abuse from multiple people throughout my childhood until I was around 15. I survived it, grew up, got married, became a mother, and eventually did something I never imagined myself doing: I went to college. I'm 32 now, but my teeth are one physical reminder of that childhood that I've never been able to escape.
For years I've looked in the mirror and felt disgusted with myself because of them. I've hidden my smile, avoided pictures, and silently carried the embarrassment. I know logically that what happened when I was a little girl wasn't something I chose, but that doesn't make looking at the damage every day any easier.
I'm not expecting a stranger to magically pay for an entire new smile, but maybe if i could get a remote high paying position to help me get there faster..
I'm also willing to provide reasonable verification of my dental situation, treatment estimates, college enrollment, or other documentation privately if required by the subreddit/moderators. I don't want to publicly post documents containing sensitive personal information.
I don't want what happened to me as a child to keep deciding how I see myself as an adult. I just want the chance to smile without being reminded of it. Thank you for reading this far. Even being heard means a lot to me.