All I want is one new front tooth: Asheville star model asks public to help with dental bill

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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swafford_tooth_asheville_2014Amanda Swafford, a well-known Asheville model who currently works for the downtown fashion shop Royal Peasantry, is asking the public for $5,000 to help her restore her winning smile.

Swafford recently launched a gofundme campaign seeking the cash to replace a missing front tooth, which she writes was taken out after apparently gnawing on a chicken bone. From Swafford’s campaign:

My name is Amanda Swafford. I am a disabled single mom of a 12 year old boy and I work only part time.

When I was 6, I lost both of my front teeth in a bike accident the first week both my teeth came in. My dad was so poor he had to take me to Baylor dental school… More ongoing trauma… skip forward to 18 years old when I smiled for the first time and I had the current (former) teeth put in. Fast forward 18 more years and BOOM fried chicken bone takes off my tooth at the root, now we have the current toothy grin.

I have no insurance (most doesn’t cover cosmetics anyway) and more importantly to the dentist, no money.

The procedures I need just for this one tooth (extraction, bone graft and surgical implant) are going to cost 5000 dollars.

Swafford is a popular local model. She is legally blind. Back in 2003, she finished third in that season’s “America’s Next Top Model” show. And check this out, from her wiki page:

Swafford has appeared on the covers of Bliss for Bride Magazine and Access Magazine, and has modelled for Levi’s Jeans, Felt It! Stitch It! Fabulous! and WEBS. She is now a renowned stylist in North Carolina. She will be hosting the first fashion show with visually impaired models during NYFW of 2014.

Thanks to loyal reader Jen for the heads-up on this!

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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41 Comments

  1. Jason W. September 29, 2014

    Take the $5000, spend $4100 on a vacation in Cancun, and get your implant down there for the remaining $900.

    Reply
  2. Kelly September 28, 2014

    I think you can stop giving her money.

    A dentist offered this on her fund me page!

    “Farideh Kia 1 day ago
    Dear Amanda, I am a dentist in New York. I believe that everyone has the right to have a beautiful smile, regardless of his/her financial situation. I am pleased to offer my services. Please contact me if interested and we can talk about the details.”

    Reply
  3. Paul Brizzell September 26, 2014

    Asheville, home of some negative assholes. Go get fucked and leave Asheville, we sure as hell don’t need you fucks ruining everything with your close-minded cynical ways! I’m sure some of you will respond to this post…get a life…maybe you will be less cynical because you will be less bored with your life.

    Reply
    1. ashevillain September 26, 2014

      Weird post. You do sound pretty negative.

      Reply
      1. Paul Brizzell September 27, 2014

        Nah Just weird, I welcome all sorts of people. I’m almost too optimistic to a fault, doesn’t mean that I don’t have cynical thoughts, I’m human after all. But the amount of comments I read from people just drive me insane. I’d say 75% of comments I read are people throwing negativity. We’ve become a society of people who barely know our neighbors and throw judgement around as if its fact. We have started criticizing people first rather than understanding them.

        Reply
        1. Matt September 27, 2014

          Are you for real? Or is this a joke?

          Reply
  4. Kimboronni September 26, 2014

    I’m going to share some info here that has been helpful to me… so helpful I’ve made a habit of telling friends and strangers about it.

    Even if folks have health insurance, it usually doesn’t include dental or vision. About 5 years ago, I got in a really bad bike accident on a rainy night, and broke two of my front teeth, among other scrapes and bruises. There was no way I could afford to pay for the dental work out of pocket, and I started looking for dental insurance online.

    I found a solution that was similar to a co-op. Annual fee paid up front, the patient can use the discount the next day, and it included a vast array of services, including vision and dental. I was able to get $1000 worth of services done for about $300, then used it to get my eyes checked, and other services for our fam.

    Here’s the link: http://www.dentalplans.com

    Check it out before you pay for out-of-pocket dental or vision. We’ve renewed it for the past 4 years.

    Reply
  5. Katherine September 26, 2014

    This story has shown up on TMZ. I need some dental work done too but I’m not begging for money to have it done. I’m saving up a few dollars at a time, because I will be darned if I will humiliate myself by going on the internet to beg for money like a common pan-handler. I will continue to work and if it means I get a second job then that’s what has to happen. Why don’t Amanda contact Tyra and beg her for $5K … I know she’s got it to spare.

    Reply
    1. Harry September 26, 2014

      It’s a new day Katherine. One where there is no shame in possessing a sense of entitlement or in begging for money. It’s perfectly fine to ask for, or even to expect a handout. The Land of the Free means something entirely different now. As we become less and less, it’s ok to expect more and more. Welcome to the fundamentally transformed America. We hope you enjoy your stay.

      Reply
      1. chris September 26, 2014

        Why don’t you say what you really mean, Harry? “Why won’t those goddamn poor go back to suffering in silence and obscurity?” And of course, its corollary, “Those who can’t afford happiness and health don’t deserve it.”

        Fuck you, Harry.

        Reply
        1. Harry September 26, 2014

          I said what I meant to say Chris. Seems it about knocked you off your bench in Pritchard Park.

          Reply
          1. chris September 26, 2014

            I know you did, you insufferable prick.

            Reply
      2. chris September 26, 2014

        Why don’t you say what you really mean, Harry? “Why won’t those goddamn poor go back to suffering in silence and obscurity?” And of course, its corollary, “Those who can’t afford happiness and health don’t deserve it.”

        Go to Hell, Harry.

        Reply
        1. chris September 26, 2014

          I thought my original comment had gotten moderated away. So you get both barrels.

          Reply
        2. Harry September 26, 2014

          You’re entitled to the fruits of YOUR labor, not your neighbors. A lesson your parents should have taught you. If you don’t work, you don’t eat. We have safety nets in place for the very poor. Problem is, we’ve created generational welfare. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you from your djembe practice. You’re going places.

          Reply
          1. chris September 26, 2014

            Funny, you wanna keep your money all for yourself, but you can’t do the same with your opinions.

            Why don’t you give it a try?

            Reply
          2. Harry September 26, 2014

            Chris, I busted my tail day and night for decades to earn what I have. I pay more than my share of federal taxes, which is probably something you’ve never done. But no, you’re not entitled to one penny of what I have worked for. Get off your lazy butt and go make something of yourself. Maybe you’ll inspire the rest of your family to do the same.

            Reply
          3. Foothills Dweller September 27, 2014

            Amen Harry!

            Reply
          4. chris September 27, 2014

            So typical. Anyone who disagrees with you must not just be wrong, but they also must embody every backward idea you hold about them. Witless, and clueless.

            Reply
          5. Harry September 27, 2014

            So what you are saying Chris is that regardless of the blood, sweat, and tears that I poured into working and building a life for my family, you deserve some of it? I owe you nothing. You are the one who is clueless. I’ll make another prediction. You’ll never amount to any more than a hill of beans, or a pile of sh**.

            Reply
          6. chris September 27, 2014

            Keep pretending you live in a hermetically sealed bubble of your own devising.

            Reply
  6. Selene September 25, 2014

    Good luck to her, bu…..it’s a little disappointing that Ashvegas deemed this newsworthy.

    Reply
    1. NFB September 25, 2014

      Well, yeah, but with its endless trail of beer and food articles, and countless 14th hand rumors of “celebrity” sightings it isn’t as if this is the place for hard news.

      Reply
  7. wsavlcallme September 25, 2014

    I would feel more comfortable donating if it indeed costs 5k. Maybe a photo of the procedures broken down and how much it costs. 5k seems like a lot for this.

    Reply
    1. hk September 25, 2014

      It really does cost that much. I have 6 implants with 4 posts, and the total for all of it was $55k.

      Reply
      1. ashevillain September 26, 2014

        That’s ridiculous. You got waaaay overcharged.

        Reply
    2. Matt September 25, 2014

      lol…yeah! This might be a ruse!

      Reply
  8. Magsmom September 24, 2014

    Nose ring and tooth aside, I’m most baffled that “one of Avl’s top stylist” is legally blind. That’s like the bad joke abt the Ray Charles barber shop.

    With such a successful modeling and carreer as a stylist, sounds like she might need some finicial planning assistance more than a tooth.

    Reply
    1. chris September 24, 2014

      Holy jeebus, you are just the worst person ever, in a comment section just brimming with top contenders for the spot.

      Since when has Ashvegas become 4chan?

      Reply
  9. ashevillain September 24, 2014

    I’m not sure why my previous post is not showing up here (won’t let me re-submit either)…

    The gist of it is the posting states the donations are tax deductible, which is incorrect. Have a look at what the IRS says about that. You can not deduct contributions made to individuals. Only contributions made to qualifying organizations can be used as a tax deduction.

    Reply
  10. Harry September 24, 2014

    Modeling career never quite took off, huh?

    Reply
    1. Kelly September 28, 2014

      Yes, I was wondering the same thing.
      On national television and such an amazing opportunity and she ended up here in Asheville with not enough money to buy a tooth. I’m not here to judge but it seems she let a good thing pass by, oh well. Here is to toothless models.

      Reply
  11. ashevillain September 24, 2014

    FYI: This campaign is very misleading. Funds donated to this individual CAN NOT be used as a tax deduction.

    http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506.html

    “To be deductible, charitable contributions must be made to qualified organizations. Payments to individuals are never deductible.”

    Reply
  12. Food Nerd September 24, 2014

    How about you don’t get to decide what’s ‘sensible’? If you don’t want to help, don’t help. Otherwise keep your offensive crap to yourself.

    Reply
    1. RJ September 24, 2014

      Amen, brother. I don’t know what it is with these self-righteous, hurtful people hiding behind semi-anonymity to spew their negativity. I would like to think this town is better than that.

      Reply
      1. TrAsheville September 25, 2014

        No, this town is trash and the fact this this is getting attention is just another reason why. Life saving surgery? A procedure that could fix her blindness? That might be a worthy cause. But for a broken tooth she can budget like every other normal person until she has the money. Entitled has-been models don’t really pull at my heartstrings, sorry.

        Reply
  13. Moochie Handout September 24, 2014

    WTF?!?! A) this girl asking for handouts. B) this getting posted here.

    I’m sure she’s nice and this is a real sob story, but come on, enough with the kickstarters!

    Reply
  14. RedHotPoker September 24, 2014

    how about a sensible pic without a nose ring?

    Reply
    1. Jonathan September 24, 2014

      How about you quit acting like a backwards conservative moron and quit judging people based on a piece of metal?

      Reply
  15. Z September 24, 2014

    This is utterly disgustingly vain and selfish. Oh hey yeah sure I did something ignorant and lost a tooth and it was my fault but hey maybe everybody should pay for my stupidity! Yeah! People need to learn to take responsibility for their mistakes. Not make it other people’s problems. When will it end? I don’t have the money for a new car, should I set up a fundme account and beg for money? Yeah! Gimmee gimmee!! What bullshit. Get another job, sell your junk, anything. Just stop begging. It is sad. But, this is our society now, can’t do anything for themselves.

    Reply
    1. Kelly September 28, 2014

      I agree. I need lots done. I have insurance now but still cannot afford dental bills.
      Affordable dentures will get here a temporary appliance for a fraction of that cost. She will look a little ‘not so model-like’.

      Let her work and save her money like most do. Does she not have family of some sort that will help???

      Being without a front tooth is sort of ironic for a model. She could be the hillbilly model..it may get her back into the business. Haha.

      Reply

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