Getting My Tooth Knocked Out

Getting My Tooth Knocked Out
By: Shelby Maynard

When I was little my cousin played softball. She was like a “ball magnet,” constantly getting hurt. Unfortunately when I started playing, I was too. My first hit was okay but the second was unforgettable.

It was my first softball season and I was at my third practice. When I arrived I got out my softball gear but not my face mask; later learning this was a big mistake. Given my position there was only one person I could warm up with, Ari. She was one of the best players we had on our team. We were throwing the ball back and forth and honestly I wasn’t paying much attention. Ari said she was throwing too soft so she started throwing the ball harder. I had caught two, then the third one came. For a brief second I glanced at my father. I didn’t realized Ari had already thrown the ball so when I looked back at her the ball was already in mid air. I quickly put my glove up however I wasn’t quick enough. That ball skipped off the tip of my glove and struck me right in my mouth. The ball’s punch was so incredibly hard I could feel my tooth puncture through my lip. That’s when I noticed blood dripping from my mouth and my tooth, it was now dangling by its root.

I told myself “Don’t cry” but I could no longer hold back the tears. As my tears rolled down my face Ari ran up to me. I could tell by the look on her face she felt awful. We walked up to our team mom and she immediately grabbed the first aid kit. She took out these packets that were supposedly meant to absorb blood and disinfect cuts. She then held them on my mouth and boy did it sting! It felt as if she had poured alcohol on my lip. My lip now had become triple the size and I was unable to fully close my mouth. I had never felt anything so painful! Ari’s father had offered to pay for the medical bill but my dad said he didn’t want him to since it was an accident.

Meanwhile all my teammates ran up and gathered around me asking a million questions. The number one question asked was, “Are you still going to play softball?’’ Of course I was! No doubt about it. I wasn’t going to let one bad accident change that. Since this was my first time playing softball and only my third practice everyone was in shock that I wanted to continue to play. They were very proud of my decision.

When my tooth was knocked out I realized you must pay attention and keep your eye on the ball, not just in softball but in life as well. Look at my situation for instance, I got my tooth back but not everything can be replaced. You always need to pay attention no matter what the situation is.

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