Embarassment. Constant Agony. Acci-DENTAL death???

My name is Joe.  I'm 25 and I'm from Illinois.  I'm a regular guy, with a regular job.  As most of you know, most jobs offer little dental coverage, if any.  My $8/hr job, as much as I love it (wink), does not provide any at all. 

PAYDAY: can I afford overpriced dental work?  Let's see.  After taxes, medical insurance (which I never "get" to use, ironically), rent, bills, fuel, and car insurance; I am left with enough grocery money to properly feed myself for about three days a week.  Thankfully, through food banks and "fish fry mondays" at work,  I'm still kickin'.  Hunger isn't my problem... but I sometimes go days without eating for fear of the constant pain I'm in for hours following any meal. 

I am missing most of my teeth in the back and the only contact points that I can chew with are a couple of broken, abcessed teeth that cause me to wince in terrible discomfort when exposed to simple, room-temp water... an unbearable feeling that is intensified tenfold when I use them to chew even the softest of foods.  Because of this, my peak weight of 210 pounds now hovers around 170... not healthy for a man who is 6'4".  I tried a non-solid diet of soups, V-8 (yuck), nutrition drinks, soggy cereal, etc.  That lasted about three weeks and I'll just say that my body didn't dig it.  I had a lack of fiber in my diet that, if continued, would've caused digestive tract problems.  Are we having fun yet?

As you may know, abcessed teeth that aren't treated promptly can lead to fatal, yes FATAL infections in the neck, face, and brain.  I can imagine the coroners report might read:

AGE:  25          GENDER:  MALE        CAUSE OF DEATH:  "LACK OF DENTAL INSURANCE"

My county has an emergency dental assistance program, but funding has run out until next year.  Unfortunately, the amount offered by said program wouldn't be sufficient for my needs anyway.  DEAD END.  Free dental clinics won't touch an abcessed tooth. DEAD END.

While I am facing the most danger with the two abcessed teeth, I have other teeth that are en route to the same agonizing destination and the ultimate need I have for myself is extraction of all affected teeth, as none of them can be saved, and getting replacement teeth that would allow me to eat fruits, veggies, and meat again.  Or ice cream.....ooooooh...I havent tasted ice cream in at least 4 years.  Things that people take for granted, haunt my dreams.

My smile is less-than-perfect and I'm positive that I could get a better job if my smile was a little more inviting.  There is not one existing picture of me where you can see my teeth.  Always that same awkward, "I dont like this at all"  half-grin : .  My grandma hates that.  She says, "You're so handsome, why won't you smile the right way?"

The right way?  What is that?  I have never known.