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A 24-year-old mum lost three front teeth after a freak accident in her garden.

Mother-of-two Lucy Collier faces a £7,000 dentist bill if she wants to replace her teeth after tripping while taking out the bins in De Beauvoir Road.

As the sole carer of her autistic three-year-old son, Lucy is unable to work and fears she won’t be able to smile confidently again.

Oxford Mail: Lucy Collier, before and after the accidentLucy Collier, before and after the accident

“I was in complete shock. I didn’t realize I’d lost any teeth until I came in the house,” she said.

“I looked in the mirror and saw all the blood and then the pain just hit me. I burst into tears.”

“When I went to A&E, I was in excruciating pain.”

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Lucy fell on April 13 when her slider shoe caught on her doorframe and, with both hands full, she couldn’t save herself from hitting the paving slabs – one of which was broken and caught her mouth.

Two teeth were knocked out immediately and her second front tooth was later removed by doctors.

Oxford Mail: Lucy CollierLucy Collier

She said she was already struggling financially before the accident because her son cannot attend nursery for a full day.

Best friend Lauren set up a fundraiser to pay for Lucy’s dental implants so she can get her smile back.

“She’s always been one to work. She’s one of these that’s been brought up that if you want something you work for it,” said Lauren.

“She’s always been confident and loud and always laughing but she’s just not like that at the moment. So I just to want to get her back to being Lucy really.”

Lucy, from Reading, said: “It would mean everything. It would be nice for my confidence, but I can’t emphasize enough that it’s my children that I worry about.

“That’s the thing that’s affected me the most is my children having to look at me every day and see that.”

She added she has been overwhelmed by the number of supportive messages she has received since the fundraiser was launched.