I still remember the day like it was yesterday. I was playing on the basketball field loving life. The weather was warm and I could feel the sun singing the fine hairs on the back of my neck. We were in the grand finals for basketball, up against our biggest rival team. The passion was felt both on and off the field. There wasn’t a single person there who didn’t have a heart pulse beating out of their chest. One thing I did know was that whenever that ball landed in my hands I had one job: run.
At one point I remember running so fast that it felt like my feet weren’t even making contact with the floor. I felt like I was almost floating across the field with a vivacious speed. Until suddenly, slam! I was face down and the ball flung out of my hands. I don’t remember what happened around me, but that’s because I didn’t care to look up. What I did know is that the game continued on for moments until a loud whistle sirened through to stop the game. I raised my head and felt the metallic taste of blood gush on my tongue. Everyone around me gasped. This was a sign I needed a trip to the dentist. In the Bayside area there was a local dentist five minutes away.
I still remember the horrific feeling of running my tongue against my teeth, only for my tongue to feel the pained gaps in my mouth where my teeth once were. I looked down at the floor and saw bits of broken teeth on the concrete. The game no longer mattered to me. I let out a loud wail and screamed. I screamed from the pain, and from the shock. I had no idea what I looked like. All I could think was ‘do I need dental implants?’ Soon after that thought, I must have collapsed because I remember waking up in a hospital bed feeling dazed. The thought of dental implants scared me but I knew it had to be done.