Tiktok Made Me Do It! 5 Dangerous Dental Trends to Unfollow
If you are on Tiktok, you should be cautious of the various dental care videos that are trending right now. Below are 5 of the newest and widely viewed dangerous dental trends on the social media platform.
Whitening teeth using regular household cleaning products
TikTok user @theheatherdunn revealed that she’s used pieces of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for the past 2 years. This product is an abrasive pad that contains sulfurous acid and formaldehyde. Another video showed a user applying 3% hydrogen peroxide solution directly to their teeth to whiten them. These are toxic substances that can be poisonous or cause harmful health effects.
Do-it-yourself orthodontics
A young woman wrapped her front teeth with several elastic hair ties, claiming she was going to close a gap between her front teeth in three days. From a viewer who is a dentist, this practice can restrict blood flow to teeth, potentially changing their color or even leading to tooth loss.
Shaving Down Teeth using fingernail files
Tooth enamel cannot repair itself. Once it’s shaved down, it’s gone for good. So this TikTok trend of using things like fingernail files to physically grind down and reshape the teeth is bad news. Technically speaking, shaving a tooth down is part of the restorative process for getting dental crowns or veneers. It is important to always choose a professional dentist for porcelain veneers.
Making prosthetic teeth and partial dentures with art supplies
Another trend involves using InstaMorph beads. These are made from polyester thermoplastic that can be heated and molded into various shapes, to repair or replace teeth. Choking Alert!
Gluing vampire fangs to teeth
For some, Halloween means going trick or treating, dressing up in costumes, and gluing fangs to their teeth with a cyanoacrylate adhesive. This is also known as super glue or nail adhesive, which is a toxic permanent adhesive.
As tempted as you may be to check out TikTok videos on teeth whitening or filling, don’t. They will never, ever give you what you’re looking for. If you have any tooth problems, and want to research online, it is very important to study dental websites closely