Everyone loves to watch life hacks and other fun healthcare videos shared on TikTok. Recent analysis has shown that over 80% of these videos are not accurate, and could be dangerous, especially when you try them at home.
Dentists have regularly warned that individuals should avoid filing their own teeth since it can result in permanent damage. You can file your nails, and they grow back, but your teeth won’t grow back after filing.
The current trends in teeth care are quite alarming, and misleading. Many orthodontics and dentists have warned against these trending teeth care videos where individuals make use of nail files and other household objects to file their own teeth. There are even videos where users grind down uneven teeth, which is something that should never be done, according to dentists.
Most people do not realize that sometimes, there’s a reason why your teeth have different lengths. Hence, it’s not as simple as those videos might make you believe.
TikTok has recently taken some measures to warn people against potential dental misinformation. Some dental videos on TikTok now have a warning on the bottom that says “the video shows potentially dangerous action”. Therefore, before taking any dental information from TikTok, ensure that it is from a TikTok dentist account to avoid misinformation.
Risks involved in trending teeth care videos
When people see some teeth care videos online, they are like “wow, it looks better” but most of those videos are dangerous and once your enamel is gone, it’s gone forever. Following these trending teeth care videos exposes you to a high risk of irreversible harm and long term health impacts.
Many people are unaware of the many health risks associated with most of the teeth care practices shown on some TikTok videos. Most of those practices hurt your mouth and gums, and even your overall health.
How to get the right dental care practices?
The first and most important dental care practice is to avoid doing anything at home that hasn’t been approved by your dentist. Even though our teeth are very strong, there are a lot of things we can do to weaken them. If you encounter any teeth care practice you do not see routinely over the counter, then do not do it.
Many social media-savvy dentists and orthodontists have been trying to combat the numerous misinformation about teeth filing and other dental care practices through YouTube, TikTok and other platforms. Hence, make sure any dental care procedure you want to undertake is gotten from a dentist platform.
Resist the urge to file your teeth at home. First, ask yourself why are my teeth uneven? It may be because of overcrowding, or due to different positions. Therefore, even if you file them and they look good, you still haven’t solved the original problem. So what will you do when they become uneven again in a few years? And now your teeth are shorter. If you’ve got to file your teeth, leave it to a dental expert because they know exactly how much enamel can be taken off to make you look good and still leave you with healthy teeth.
