Update: The system is failing me, and I’m running out of time
Over the past few years, I’ve gone through a lot of loss and life changes. I’ve lost clos… Mairead Mairead needs your support for Help Me He
I didn’t think I’d be here, but I need to be honest.
My antibiotics run out tomorrow, and I still don’t have treatment scheduled.
I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do. I’ve called, followed up, waited, and advocated for myself. And I’m still stuck in limbo waiting on offices to call back, waiting on answers about coverage, waiting while an active infection sits in my mouth.
I can’t even get a digital copy of my X-rays, which means I might have to pay for another exam and new X-rays out of pocket just to start over somewhere else.
I’m also still waiting to hear if Medicaid will cover the extractions while I pay for sedation myself. No answer. No timeline. Just… waiting.
Meanwhile, this doesn’t pause.
The infection is already visible on my X-rays. I was shown how it’s spread around my teeth and started damaging the structure. It doesn’t just stay the same; it gets worse. It can spread further. It can affect my jaw and my overall health.
And I can feel it.
This is the part that’s hard to explain: knowing something is actively wrong in your body, and not being able to get help fast enough because of cost, insurance, and red tape.
I’ve handled a lot on my own over the past few years. Loss, trauma, starting over with nothing. I figured things out because I had to.
But this? This isn’t something I can push through or ignore.
Right now, I’m facing the possibility of having to pay for everything:
a new exam
new X-rays
the extractions
and sedation
Because the system that’s supposed to help… just isn’t.
I’ve attached photos of the X-rays I was given so you can see what’s happening. It’s honestly hard to look at them and know that’s inside my body right now.
I hate having to ask for help like this, but I don’t have another option if I want to get this taken care of before it gets worse.
If you’ve donated or shared already, thank you. It truly means everything right now.
If you’re able to help or even just share this, I would be so grateful. I just want to get this infection treated and not feel like I’m racing against something that shouldn’t have gotten this far.
Tooth #3 is the larger one on the left, and #4 and #5 are the smaller ones closer to the front. The dark areas I circled are infection, and it’s already breaking down the posts from a root canal I had just 3 years ago. I can feel this happening while I sit here waiting for answers I’m not getting.
The “interim partial denture” listed here is meant only to be temporary until I can afford something permanent, like a bridge or implants. But even that isn’t straightforward. A bridge would have to attach to teeth that already have crowns and root canals, which means there’s a real risk it could fail.
Most of the work in the front of my mouth was done after my 2023 car accident, when my teeth were damaged.
What’s really hard to wrap my head around is the cost. A bridge is quoted at around $6,000, and it might not even last. That’s basically the cost of a single implant.
And this is at a public community clinic that’s supposed to serve people on Medicaid, Medicare, or without income.
At this point, once I can even get the extractions done, I may have to travel outside of the country just to afford a permanent solution, but that means applying, paying, and waiting for a passport.
