Update: Temporary crowns!

To all of you who have generously supported Teddy:

Implant update: Thank you! The implant surgery was a success. According to Dr. Chapman at Mengo Hospital, the bone surrounding the implants healed nicely and looked strong. The doctors are now gradually "expanding [Teddy's] gums" with temporary crowns until it is the proper size. Actually, to my untrained eyes, the temporary crowns look so good already!

Please see a picture of Teddy and I with her temporary crowns :-) 

I paid in installments. For the first surgery, I paid the 7 million UGX. Here is the remaining bill of the last 2 million UGX we paid on 8 Nov 2017. When the final crowns have been placed, I will get the total, final invoice from the hospital and post the whole bill here so you can see it all. 

Regarding Teddy's job front: the volunteering that she did paid off. After 2-3 months of volunteering, she was offered a full-time position to help with cleaning and cooking at the NGO school. She's now saving the money she's earning in hopes of opening a small business with her mom to sell matooke (green bananas/plantain) next to a popular bar in the neighborhood. 

Updates - Surgery, Fundraising, and More

Dear Supporters: 

Surgery

We are so pleased to let you know that Teddy's surgery on June 6, 2017 went well! Dr. Chapman said bone grafting was used for both teeth but the initial estimate of 1 million UGX bone grafting material was enough. The post-operative x-ray suggested a good result. Teddy had another follow-up visit this past Monday (June 12, 2017) and Dr. C indicated all is healing up well! In the meantime, Dr. C's team made a temporary prosthesis so Teddy would have something like teeth. This would help Teddy pursue job interviews and hopefully overcome some of the superficial prejudices about "scary" looks. We chose a conservative prosthesis that does not put stress on the bone so the bone can really heal properly for implant purposes. Teddy has been given tentative appointments for the second stage of the implant procedures in October and November. Depending on how well her bone has healed, they will then add the 2 "crowns" to the metal posts. This may involve additional minor surgery for her gums. 

Teddy has been really great about caring for her mouth and teeth. She is taking her meds and following Dr. C's oral hygiene regimen. I asked her how bad the pain was a few days after the surgery but she is putting on a brave face. She kept saying this was what she wanted and she's focusing on the long-term goal. 

Job Search

Teddy is starting to volunteer for an organization that helps kids living in the slums to go to school. She's going to get some hands-on training on how to do follow-up visits to see how the children are doing and learn how to be accountable to donor funding. We are hopeful that if she does a good job volunteering that in a few months time this would lead to a full-time paid position. 

Fundraising

A MASSIVE and MOST SINCERE thank you to all of you from around the world, literally from Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, for contributing funds and making implants possible for Teddy! We have reached our goal by 105.35%. In fact, we are $147.47 over the original fundraising goal. There have been several unexpected costs already that were not a part of the original invoice that the hospital gave me - they are post-operative medication costs - one for prednisone tablets (an anti-inflammatory so her face doesn't swell up so much following surgery) and Corsodyl (a special mouthwash for infection control). I will use the "extra" money towards these costs. If there is anything left over following the second stage of the implant surgery, I will donate the rest of it Mengo Hospital Dental Clinic so they can help other patients who are in need just like Teddy! Do let me know if you are uncomfortable with any of these plans!

You guys have really given Teddy such hope and a wonderful boost in life!

THANK YOU!! 

Surgery Date!

Hi All!

We met Dr. Sam, Dr. Francis, and Dr. Chapman on Saturday June 3rd for the implant assessment. They reviewed the 3D x-ray and made a study model. As Dr. Chapman suspected, Teddy will need some bone grafting to support the implant. Apparently, this is common for implants of front teeth.


Teddy's surgery date will be on June 6, 2017. The surgeon will use local anesthesia to numb her mouth and the procedure should take about 2-3 hours long. Teddy's mom will come and keep her company. We have a prescription for some steroids to keep the facial swelling down.

As of today (04 June 2017) we are about 65% of the total fundraising goal. Please support us if you are able to and feel free to share this with your friends.

Thank you, Sharon

Letter from Teddy and Receipt: 3D xray and intra-oral photo

Implants vs. dentures?

Dear friends,

I'm overwhelmed by your kind, generous, and thoughtful response since my initial appeal to you to help Teddy. Some of you have asked why we chose implants instead of dentures, especially as dentures are a much cheaper option.

Let's make sure we all start on the same page since a lot of this teeth lingo is new to me too!

• Dentures: removable false teeth 

• Implants: a metal post (like a tooth root) surgically positioned into the jawbone to allow the mounting of a replacement tooth. An implant does not come loose like a denture can. 

The dentist presented both dentures and implants as possible options of dealing with Teddy's missing front teeth. He showed us pictures and models of each option. The main advantage of dentures is its cheaper cost. However, dentures can slip out of place while eating or speaking and partial dentures can increase the risk of infection and decay in other teeth if not fitted properly. There are advantages and disadvantages to dental implants as well. Implants can last for 25 years or more without the need for replacement if the patient has healthy gums and jaw and good oral hygiene. The dentist also said the success rate was especially high (>90%) if the patient does not have risk factors, such as smoking, pregnancy, or diabetes. However, dental implants are exponentially more expensive than dentures.

Dr. Chapman thought Teddy would be an excellent candidate for dental implants. She had healthy gums and bones upon visual inspection, good oral hygiene (no history of cavities), and no major risk factors (e.g., smoking, diabetes, pregnancy).

Teddy and I discussed the two options - considering costs, length and pain associated with the procedures (dentures would be relatively fast and painless), and how each option would affect her quality of life. Teddy expressed sadness if she needed to wear dentures at age 25. She understood she would eventually learn to speak clearly with dentures on. However, she felt like this was one more reminder of how the assault has changed her life incontrovertibly. She felt that implants would at least help her feel like she got "real teeth" back.

SO - long story short - we decided to choose implants over dentures because Teddy was an excellent candidate for implants clinically and we believe she could benefit more - emotionally, quality of life wise at her current young age of 25 years - from implants than dentures.

We recognize that dental implants require careful daily dental hygiene and long-term maintenance (e.g., annual visits to the dentist) but I truly believe Teddy can do this. I mean, it's pretty amazing to me that she has no cavities and she's 25 years already! Also, the 35,000 UGX for the annual dental visit to check the bone and implants is something she and her family can realistically raise and follow through on...

Anyway... I just wanted to share our thought process.

Many thanks for listening!
Sharon

Can you help Teddy?

Dear friends and family: 

I hope this finds you well. 

With Teddy's permission I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about Teddy in hopes that you can help her. People often ask me for help here but I've learned to discriminate critically - based on what resources/ connections I can offer and whether I think the help the person needs is really beyond what his/her family and community can offer... so I don't come to you lightly with this request and I hope you can take time to read this email and consider helping Teddy.

Teddy Nabukalu is 25 years old and a neighbor who lives about four houses up the hill from my compound. Over a month ago I met her one morning while she was fetching water from the well near my home. She stopped me on the road asking me if it was true that teeth can be replaced after they were knocked out. She showed me her neck which bore the marks of a hand print, and she told me she was assaulted coming home from work in the evening and lost two front teeth among other injuries. She lost her job because she couldn't make herself repeat her travels to and from work. She was too scared and said she was even frightened to fetch water during the daytime. She kept on repeating how different her life was from the day of the assault and how not having her teeth made her feel so "wrong". Teddy is currently looking for a job but has been rejected by potential employers who said her looks were "scary". 

In response, I was able to connect Teddy to a Ugandan psychologist experienced in trauma so she is getting mental health care. Regarding her teeth, there are 3 to 4 places here that can provide implants. However, implants are really expensive!  The costs are prohibitive for her and her family - especially a family that has to get water from a well (meaning home without running water). The total cost of a single implant procedure is on average 9 million UGX, and the cheapest place I found was a dental clinic at a missionary hospital called Mengo Hospital which charged around 4 million UGX per implant. I'm usually not one to go for the cheapest care but I was daunted by the cost estimates especially when Teddy needed 2 implants... but when I heard the implant surgeon at Mengo Hospital was an American dentist I was soooo relieved. I know its so biased but I just feel more comfortable knowing the dentist had an American dental education... Anyway, Teddy and I attended her consultation with Dr. Ken Chapman today and she is considered a good candidate for successful implant (she doesn't have the risk factors for implant failure, e.g., smoking, pregnancy, diabetes). 

The doctor broke down the costs summarized in the table below: 

I'm wondering if you would be willing to contribute $25, or $50 or $100, or more, or any amount, to help towards Teddy getting her teeth fixed? I was thinking if I could get 50 friends to contribute $50 each then we would be able to cover her implants cost! Back when I lived in the US, $50 was like a weeks worth of groceries or a really fancy Japanese dinner out or splurging at Whole Foods, you know? And this amount can make such a massive, lifelong difference for Teddy. It's not just a cosmetic difference for her, but can literally affect her ability to be employed and long term livelihood. 

If you would be willing to help, please can you reply one on one back to me please? Also, please feel free to share with friends who may be interested in helping. I will provide full accountability with visits to Teddy's home and Mengo Hospital Dental Clinic. I will be directly dispersing the fees to the dental clinic and. I'll create a password protected blog where I'll post updates and receipts so you can see your money is used.

Finally, I'm so sorry if you're annoyed or offended that I sent this email to you!  Please accept my sincere apology! Many thanks for reading, Sharon 

Projected treatment plan invoice

Receipt: Initial consultation to assess for Teddy's eligibility for implants