Hello,
My name is Kim, I am thirty-one, single, and I have no children. I live in Central Texas. Two weeks ago I was admited into the hospital for a tooth infection. I found out that you can actually die from a tooth infection and or abcess, its called blood poisioning. I was close to having it. If I had waited longer to go to the emergancy room I might not be here.
They sent me home with antibiotics and heavy pain killers. I was told to see a dentist right away. I have no insurance and I am currently unemployed. My shoulder limmits me to only working certain jobs. At sixteen I was in an accident that severed the main artery in my right arm.
I have contacted many different dentists. I can't afford to be seen. I don't qualify for any medical assistance because I am not considered disabled, and I am over twenty-five, and I have no children. There are two free clinics here. There are only open a limited amount of time, and when they are it takes hours of standing in line to be seen, if you are seen. They may not take me because I live in a different city. The free clinic will only remove one tooth per year.
In the hospital I was seen by an oral surgeon. He told me I needed three teeth removed and that two of them were infected. I also need twelve teeth worked on, and my wisdom teeth removed. He wouldn't help me beyond that.
I'm not sure what to do. I've called so many different places trying to get help. It seems like no one will, or can help. I'm in pain every day, my diet is very limited to soft foods, when I smile I cover it. When people see my teeth they judge me for them and not me. I'm ashamed.
I am engaged to a wonderful man. He has two children that he has to pay child support for. He is diabetic. We can't afford his test strips, we can barely afford his medication. He hasn't seen a doctor since he was diagnosed at an ER.
We are good people, we didn't ask for this. He is a good father, he works just for us to survive. I'm going to college to better our lives... I'm just not sure what to do anymore...
These are my teeth, the hole in the upper corner is actually my infected tooth broken in half.
This is a picture of me after my second trip to the ER before the third when I was finally admited to the hospital. My entire right face is swollen, by the time they had addmited me my right eye was almost swollen shut.
