The first time Ella Jacobs met Dr. Dan Burch, she was on the verge of tears.
Jacobs was afraid Burch, a clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, would tell her the same thing as every dentist before him: that he couldn’t treat her youngest daughter, Jaramella Allen. And she was angry that her daughter might have to keep living in constant pain from untreated dental problems.
Allen, 33, was born with microcephaly, or an unexpectedly small head, and a host of other medical problems. She regularly has seizures, can’t speak and relies on her mother and sister for round-the-clock care.
She’s also the size of a child, leaving her in a dental limbo. Pediatric dentists say Allen’s too old to be their patient, while adult dentists say they’re not qualified to treat her. In the eight years since she moved to Wichita Falls, Ella has called dozens of dentists and oral surgeons in North Texas trying to find someone, anyone, who would see her daughter.
Allen lost 17 teeth during that time.