How Katherine Ryan’s podcast gave Northampton woman the confidence to ask for help with teeth problem

A local woman who has suffered with teeth and gum problems since she was a teenager has finally found the courage to ask for help.

Hannah Matthews, who was born in Lincolnshire but now lives in Northampton, has type one diabetes, which links to her advanced gum disease.

The 27-year-old went through a period of her life when she was not in a place mentally to look after her health properly, which she believes contributed to the issues she now has with her teeth wobbling and falling out.

Hannah, who currently works in a pub, said: “I’ve had problems with my teeth for as long as I can remember.

“I have lost a tooth at the front of my mouth and I have a lot that are very wobbly.

“My gums are quite small, so it’s difficult to eat and sometimes it’s really embarrassing because it’s my face and it’s the first thing people see.

“I have looked into various treatment options and I would love more than anything for my dental health to be a priority, but I don’t have access to the kinds of funds that would be required to make this a reality.”

Until very recently, Hannah did not have the confidence to ask for the help she needs to improve her dental health, especially during the pandemic as she was worried it would be ‘self-involved’.

But during lockdown, Hannah has been listening to the podcast ‘Katherine Ryan: Telling Everyone Everything’, which was ultimately the key to her finding the courage to ask for help.

Hannah added: “I find the podcast really interesting and Katherine answered a lot of people’s questions in such a lovely way so I just thought ‘I have no one else to ask, so I’ll ask her.’

“I emailed asking whether it would be too self-involved to start a fundraiser for my dental care.

“It just felt not right to me to ask people to help, but Katherine read my email out on her podcast and said she didn’t think I was selfish or crazy.

“She spoke about her own experiences with her teeth and said a lot of people can’t get the help they need.”

Following on from the podcast, Katherine donated £1,000 to the crowdfunder Hannah set up and also shared the page to her social media, which led to many more donations being made.

This has enabled Hannah to book a dental assessment and get the ball rolling with starting her dental treatment, which could include dentures.

“It’s really incredible and overwhelming,” she continued.

“I’ve been taken aback by how kind people have been and some of the messages I have received have been so lovely and touching.

“It has quite literally changed life already. It’s something that has bothered and upset me for so many years and I’ve never had a way out from it.”

Hannah has a dental assessment on Monday (July 13) to find out what treatment she can have that will rectify the issue and stop it from getting worse.

She says once this is done she will have so much more confidence in herself.

In the meantime, Hannah is fundraising for an amount that she expects the treatment to cost.

Donations can be made here.

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