Boy born without most of his permanent teeth. Insurance won't cover his procedures due to the surgerys being deemed "cosmetic".

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CLEARFIELD — Isaac Bryant has bright eyes and a playful personality, but he's missing most of his permanent teeth because of a genetic condition called ectodermal dysplasia.

"It feels weird without teeth on the bottom because you can't chew food normally," said 12-year-old Isaac, who lives in Clearfield.

Drooling is a problem and saying certain words is difficult: "Like cinnamon and Mississippi," he said.

Ectodermal dysplasia is rare genetic disorder affecting the hair, teeth, nails, sweat glands and cranial-facial structure, orthodontists say.

But the toughest part for Isaac was what happened to him in elementary school when other kids didn't understand his condition.

"They bullied me, called me names," he said.

His dad wishes things were different.

"The hardest thing is knowing I can't do anything for him," said Chris Bryant, Isaac's father. "I can't protect him from everything."

Isaac is smart and happy by nature, his parents said, but the teasing was so bad, his grades suffered.

"He got to the point where he was so frustrated with school that he would just toss his homework in the trash bin on his way out of class," Chris Bryant said.

An X-ray of Isaac's jaw shows it's smaller than normal, and it comes to a sharp point, making it difficult to fit dentures, said Sheldon Peck, Isaac's orthodontist.

(Photo: KSL-TV)

"He only has eight permanent teeth in total," Peck said. "That big gap there in the front make it's difficult for speech, for eating, for multiple different things."

Peck began by putting braces on his top teeth. Isaac can't put in implants, Peck said, because implants fuse to the bone and wouldn't grow with Isaac. They'll use microimplants and replace them often.

"These little mini screws go into the bone," Peck said. "Basically, we will put an overdenture on those teeth so it's something that can snap in kind of like a ball and ring."

Peck said they'll also eventually fix Isaac's jaw by grafting bones from his ribs. It will be a long, expensive journey to help Isaac avoid feeling sad.

What he lacks in teeth, he makes up for in courage. Where does it come from?

"My family and my heart," Isaac said.

Insurance companies consider Isaac's dental work cosmetic, so it's very expensive. If you'd like to help, visit his GoFundMe account*.

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Photos

Heather Simonsen

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