A woman who was self-conscious about her teeth for years finally grew to accept them - but then she fell and knocked out the front three, leaving her "looking like a zombie".
Georgina Rossiter, 24, always had slightly wonky teeth but in her adult life, she saw them as a central part of her unique appearance, adopting the nickname 'bunny' and using an avatar of a rabbit online.
But then one day, after attending a comedy gig, the avid gamer slipped and broke three teeth right at the front of her mouth - and now needs a costly operation to put new ones in.
Georgina said she has now lost her body confidence and wears a Covid mask indoors to cover her face, and is trying to raise £18,000 to get dental implants that will restore her smile to its former glory.
What do you think about Georgina's predicament? Let us know in the comments...
Georgina said: "When I saw my reflection on my phone after I fell, I didn't recognise myself. My lips were swollen and I had completely lost my front three teeth.
"I thought, 'This is what a zombie looks like - an actual zombie.'
"All my life, I hated my teeth and hid them. Then, this year, thanks to the lovely people I met gaming, I finally felt okay about them only to lose them. I'm devastated."
Georgina, who stresses that she was not drunk, tripped shortly after 10pm on Friday, June 3, after going to a comedy gig on London's Southbank with a friend.
She said: "We'd only planned what we were doing the night before and decided to head to this bar after the gig. I was walking completely normally then I suddenly tripped.
"I don't know if it was me tripping on the pavement or on my new high-top converse trainers.
"But my hands were in my pockets and I was wearing quite tight cargo pants, so I couldn't pull them out in time and just fell head first.
"My head smacked on the ground and my teeth took the brunt of it.
"There was just blood everywhere and I remember being so shocked. I was freaking out, shouting 'My teeth! My teeth!' I was thinking, 'I can't live my life with no teeth.'"
Georgina, who lives with her stay-at-home mum, Maria Rossiter, 60, and her brother, John Rossiter, 27, a makeup artist, in southwest London, was rushed to hospital by ambulance for a check-over and is awaiting a CT scan to make sure she has not fractured her jaw.
She was advised to visit her dentist, who has now confirmed it will be £300 for dentures privately, but if she wants implants, which are also only available privately, she estimates it will be around £18,000.
She said: "I didn't realise there were emergency dentists, so I waited until after the Bank Holiday to see someone on Monday.
"I was told that if I'd gone a few hours after the fall, they might have been able to save my teeth, but I didn't even pick them up when they were knocked out, as I was so shocked.
"The dentist said they have to extract the roots of my teeth because of the risk of infection to my jaw.
"But if I want implants, which are better - especially at my age - they cost around £5,000 each and I can't possibly afford that."
The accident is just the latest in a long line of tooth-related sagas for poor Georgina.
Growing up, she had retainers from the age of 11 before having braces for wonkiness fitted at the age of 12.
But while they pushed her teeth together she still had an overbite, which made her self-conscious in her teens.
She said: "I grew up being called "ugly," so I have always been insecure. I was bullied and called 'bunny' or 'donkey' which really affected me.
"If a guy ever asked me out, Iould think they were just having a laugh and it was some kind of joke. "
But joining Twitch in March 2020 - an online streaming platform, where she could stream herself playing Rocket League, an arcade-style vehicle football game - massively built her confidence.
She said: "I have always been a gamer, but I discovered Twitch and Rocket League during the pandemic.
"I started streaming the games and everyone was so nice and loving and never mentioned my teeth. They saw me for me and not just as 'the girl with the big teeth'.
"I started to make a bunny my logo and tried to own my teeth and accept them as a unique part of me. I was feeling so much more confident because of that community.
For more of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here.
"I would never have even videoed myself before joining Twitch. It was such a big thing for me."
And Georgina says it is the same gaming community that has now rallied around and helped her to crowdfund an incredible £12,000 towards teeth implants within 24 hours of her launching a GoFundMe page.
Left with no front teeth, while she awaits temporary dentures later this month, she said: "I feel so embarrassed about how I look.
"The day after my fall, I woke up and asked myself, 'How come this is real and not a nightmare?' I was having a perfectly normal day and now I look like a zombie!
"I have never liked my teeth, but now I can't look in the mirror. I don't recognise myself.
"I haven't even shown my mum or brother what I look like with no teeth. I am wearing a mask around the house because I don't want them to see me."
To support Georgina's fundraiser, please visit the page here.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
