There’s a reason dentists spend all that time in school.
Have you ever attempted some ill-advised DIY? Maybe you’ve done a bit of light plumbing, only to find yourself knee-deep in dubious water? Or tried putting up a shelf that ultimately resulted in an asymmetric atrocity? Whatever happened, the worst-case scenario was most likely an unwelcome bill from the eye-rolling professional who sorted it out.
Unfortunately, the DIY craze currently taking over social media has the potential to cause more lasting harm. “DIY dentistry,” which is sweeping TikTok, has seen folks take their oral health into their own hands rather than visit their usual healthcare provider. Bolstered by the encouragement and apparent success stories of online influencers, people are making their own nightguards, taking their braces off with a spoon, whitening their own teeth with hydrogen peroxide, and (argh) filing their own teeth down using nail files.
Most often, those attempting their own dentistry hope to save on bills, but as you’ve probably guessed, the consequences of their efforts often wind up necessitating a much more expensive (and embarrassing) trip to the dentist than the one they originally sought to avoid. In the very worst cases, the damage they bring onto themselves is unsalvageable.
We spoke to Dr. Fatima Khan, dentist and co-founder of Riven oral care, and Dr. Parul D. Makkar, founder of P.D.M Family Dental on Long Island, about some of the most popular at-home dental trends, and the very real, sometimes permanent harm they can cause.
The dangers of at-home teeth whitening
One of the most popular at-home dental “hacks” is teeth whitening. On the face of it, it seems pretty simple (and super cheap). In reality, it can lead to discoloration, and in the worst cases, enamel loss.
“A frequent practice is to use baking soda as an abrasive and mix it with hydrogen peroxide and use a boil-and-bite over-the-counter guard to hold the mixture in place,” explains Dr. Khan. “If used too frequently or in high concentrations, the abrasive nature of baking soda can damage the enamel on your teeth.”
This sounds quite bad enough, but it gets worse. The hydrogen peroxide people are putting into these ill-fitting makeshift guards can leak through them and irritate or even burn the gum tissue. All that harsh hydrogen peroxide can also lead to sensitivity and extremely un-chic white streaks on the teeth.
Another trend Dr. Khan sees in her practice is that of using turmeric to “strengthen and whiten teeth.” Folks brush their teeth with turmeric, then brush again using regular toothpaste, hoping to make their teeth strong and pearly. Often they’re left with the exact same teeth, just… yellow. “There are benefits of turmeric, and some research suggests it has anti-inflammatory properties,” says Dr. Khan. “But the dark yellow color is hard to brush off, and I have seen it stain patients’ teeth.”
Other hacks involve mixing baking soda with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, or a mixture of strawberries and salt. This can be seriously harmful, since lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are both acidic substances that can strip away your tooth enamel — the hard, protective layer that keeps them strong and healthy. “When the enamel is worn away, it can lead to increased risk of tooth decay and sensitivity, and will cause your teeth to appear darker,” says Dr. Khan.
Yes, people are actually filing their own teeth down
Social media can send people down some bad wormholes, and between the pressure to look like picture-perfect influencers and the apparent “success stories” spouted by those attempting to emulate them, it’s easy to see how mistakes get made. Probably the most dangerous of these when it comes to teeth is the craze for filing them down with nail files — the objective of which is to achieve super-neat pearlies that all look the same length.
“This is the worst trend, as it can do irreversible damage,” says Dr. Makkar. “Once a tooth structure is filed down or damaged, it cannot regrow. A tooth will need a definitive treatment, like a filling or crown, to be restored.”
To complicate matters further, each tooth has a different anatomy, so filing them down to make them the same length can expose different layers of the interior, depending on the original length of the teeth.
“The nerve of the tooth is in its center,” explains Dr. Makkar. “As we reduce the outside enamel layer, we expose the second, dentin layer, and even the pulp (the nerve center of the tooth).” This can cause excruciating pain, sensitivity, swelling, and potentially necessitate a route canal.
Even the lightest touch with a nail file can produce significant damage. “You can introduce bacteria from your nail file in your mouth,” says Dr. Khan. “And once the enamel is gone, it will not magically reappear or grow back like your nails.”
Not-so-super glue
It seems there’s no end to the harmful substances people are prepared to put in their mouths. One of the most toxic of these is super glue, which some unwise optimists use to cement fallen crowns or to fix broken dentures. Others use it for more, um, frivolous purposes.
“The latest trend that I have heard of is for ‘teeth jewelry’ parties, where a person comes in and glues a small gem onto the teeth,” says Dr. Makkar. “But super glue is highly toxic, and it should never be used intra-orally. It can lead to unknown allergic or adverse drug interactions.”
Dr. Makkar also warns that another potential target for super glue, DIY dentures — which can be bought online — don’t fit properly. This means they never function well, and can lead to trauma and abrasions.
“Under no circumstances should you pull your own tooth,” she adds. “The use of improperly sterilized tools can lead to severe swelling and life-threatening infections.”
The complex risks of DIY tooth straightening
Orthodontics is undeniably expensive — and definitely a headache to deal with in adulthood. But if you’re planning to bite the bullet (so to speak) and sort out those gaps, you absolutely must go to a professional.
“There are various methods to move teeth, like using rubber bands to bring teeth closer together,” says Dr. Khan. “Some people use a paperclip as the wire and gluing beads for brackets, and others are using dental floss and elastic bands. All these methods are immensely dangerous.”
Basically, your teeth are just the tip of the iceberg. While amateur orthodontists might think they can see what’s happening as their teeth appear to straighten, all sorts of chaos may be unfolding below the surface, as their roots are messed around. The point is: Orthodontic work needs to be done precisely — and if it isn’t, you can permanently damage your teeth.
“Most of the damage will occur to the roots and gums, and it can lead to bone loss and eventually tooth loss,” explains Dr. Khan. Teeth that were once stable may become loose, and fixing an improper bite as a result of at-home efforts tends to be far more time-consuming and expensive than doing it properly in the first place.
The bottom line
Most patients who attempt these harmful trends wind up filled with embarrassment and regret. “They say they wanted fast results or couldn’t afford certain dental treatments. They felt that since many people were doing these online versions of popular treatments, it must be safe,” says Dr. Khan.
Some people go the DIY route because they feel anxious about being in a dental setting, or hope that they’ll be able to avoid pain. As both Dr. Khan and Dr. Makkar can attest, the fact that apparently effective DIY methods are all over social media can lead people to believe that they’re safe, and that dentists are withholding these options to make a buck. When it all goes wrong, they inevitably feel deep embarrassment about going to the dentist to fix the damage.
The key takeaway? Find a trusted professional that can help guide you to make informed decisions from the get-go. Dentists train an additional four to 10 years after their undergraduate education in order to understand the growth, development, anatomy, and composition of the teeth — and to be able to use the instruments and materials necessary in treatment.
“Ask questions, and get second opinions,” says Dr. Makkar. “Having a proper dentist is essential for your overall well-being. Don’t fall for a short-lived trend at the long-term expense of your health.”
