I thought it would be a regular bike ride, just like every other day in the summer of 2014. I was mistaken. My best friend and I rode around the neighborhood often, going on adventures. But this day was different. I crashed. I flipped over the handlebars of my bike and I quickly realized something was off. My front tooth was gone.

My friend and I had gone down a new street, which had a big hill at the end. Being so young, we were in our glory. We had gone up and down the hill a few times, laughing and smiling, without a care in the world. As I began to roll down once again, I had a bad feeling, which I can still remember to this day. Something was off. Without another thought, I continued down. I drove quicker and quicker until the brakes would not work. The rest is a blur. I must have hit a stone in the road and flipped over. As my feet were trying to find their balance off of the sandy pavement I felt awful. There were a few scratches but as soon as I opened my mouth to talk I noticed the worst of my injuries. Half of my front tooth was missing.

My cuts will heal. My sprained wrist will heal. But having only half a tooth was something I will have to live with forever. The tooth isn’t real. I was able to get it fixed that summer and I thought that would be the end. There were limitations, but I made sure not to go too crazy. In December 2018, my front tooth reminded me that my teeth will always be different. I ate my granola bar, just like every morning, but along with it came a tooth. I was not sure how I would make it through the school day, but I did. I had to persevere even if I sounded like a toddler. By the end of the day, all 32 teeth were back in place.

My experiences taught me to be cautious. They also showed me how to push through hard times because it will all be okay. Not having a front tooth is hard, but staying positive is the best thing I can do. I may not be able to eat apples to the core, but I can tell some interesting stories. Everyone can say that they lost a tooth, but only few are able to say they lost the same tooth three times.