After years of worsening dental problems, a 23-year-old woman from Ohio is using TikTok to seek financial help for extensive dental care she says she cannot afford on her own.
Bri Over, who lives in Ashland, Ohio, has shared videos on TikTok over the past several months showing the condition of her teeth, some of which are missing, cracked, or severely discolored. She says the damage causes daily pain, frequent infections, and difficulty eating and sleeping.
In her videos, Over often dances or tells personal stories while linking to a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for treatment. In the fundraiser description, she explains that struggles with mental health during her teenage years, along with chronic illnesses, contributed to the deterioration of her dental health.
Over says she needs all of her remaining teeth extracted and hopes to receive implant-supported or snap-in dentures. According to her GoFundMe page, the most recent estimate she received from a dentist was about $50,000, a cost she and her family cannot afford.
“I’ve been engaged to my fiancé for almost two years,” Over wrote. “I would really like to smile comfortably in our wedding pictures and sleep through the night without pain.”
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Over said she spent more than five years trying to save for treatment before realizing it was unrealistic. Encouraged by family and friends, she decided to ask for help publicly.
To draw attention to her fundraiser, Over leaned into TikTok trends, posting dance videos set to the song “My Shiny Teeth and Me” from The Fairly OddParents. She said those videos quickly received the most engagement and helped spread awareness of her situation.
Over explained that her dental issues have progressed gradually. She says she has several chronic illnesses and is undergoing further medical evaluations. One condition, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is known to affect connective tissue and can contribute to dental deterioration.
She said limited access to affordable dental care, combined with periods of poor mental health, accelerated the damage. Her goal is to eat, sleep, and smile without pain or embarrassment.
Over has sought treatment estimates across the United States and abroad. She says individual implants were quoted at roughly $1,800 per tooth by her hometown dentist, while a nearby practice estimated $50,000 for full-mouth implants. Other options ranged from $8,000 to $25,000 for traditional or partial dentures.
The most affordable U.S. option she found was about $20,000 for a full-mouth implant procedure in Las Vegas. She also explored international options in Mexico, Turkey, Dubai, and India. While an All-on-4 procedure in India was quoted at just over $10,000, she said travel and follow-up costs would likely raise the total to $16,000 or more.
Currently out of work, Over has begun selling baked goods locally to help raise money for her treatment.
She says the online response has been overwhelming, with many strangers offering support, advice, and donations. Others, however, have left hurtful comments, often accusing her of neglecting basic oral hygiene.
“Those comments are hard to read,” Over said. “But the kindness truly outweighs the cruelty.”
Over added that the experience has highlighted a broader issue. “No one should have to choose between living in pain and going into debt just to receive basic dental care,” she said.