GENERALLY SPEAKING, INFLUENCERS are not a great source of health advice. One personās experience with a technique or product is not going to be universal, and real understanding of the way the human body works comes from years of study and training, not a quick google search. With that in mind, there are a few specific oral health fads and cosmetic dental trends we want to warn our patients about.
Cosmetic Dentistry Donāts
1. Donāt widen a tooth gap for a ācuterā look.
Enamel reshaping can be a very legitimate procedure. If a tooth has a minor chip or is oddly shaped, enamel reshaping can help it match its neighbors. Enamel reshaping can also smooth out the little bumps (mamelons) on the ends of adult teeth if they arenāt wearing away on their own. But to widen a gap just to look cute, as happened on Americaās Next Top Model? The (alleged) cosmetic appeal does not outweigh the potential damage to the teeth and how they fit together.
2. Donāt get vampire fangs.
It seems a different movie monster is popular every decade, but that doesnāt mean we should try to look like them. Changing the shape of your teeth to make them look like fangs is going to remove a lot of enamel, which wonāt grow back. A better idea is to get a good pair of removable custom fangs to go over your normal, healthy teeth.
3. Donāt get gems embedded in your teeth.
We all want sparkling smiles, but we donāt recommend taking that as literally as getting gems surgically implanted in your teeth. Thatās a recipe for cavities and regret.
Dental Health Donāts
1. Donāt clean your teeth with lemon juice.
As part of the āall-natural remediesā craze, some people are trying lemon juice and other household substances like apple cider vinegar and baking soda to clean their teeth. Lemon juice is highly acidic. Tooth enamel might be very hard, but it is extremely vulnerable to acid erosion, so acidic substances make very counterproductive toothpastes.
2. Donāt clean your teeth with activated charcoal.
While charcoal can indeed be used to absorb toxins, including in some types of poisoning, it doesnāt zero in on only harmful chemicals. Its highly porous texture means that it absorbs everything, both good and bad! Itās also very abrasive, and there is no evidence that it helps teeth more than it harms them.
3. Oil pulling probably wonāt hurt, but it wonāt help either.
One of the stranger trends weāve seen is oil pulling, or swishing a small amount of oil in your mouth for twenty minute stretches in hopes of achieving whitening effects. Unlike the other items on this list, it wonāt do any harm to your teeth, but itās a lot of time to spend on something that has no proven benefits.
For Trustworthy Advice, Start With Us!
The main takeaway here is that no matter what seems cool or effective in the moment, itās always better to consult with actual dental health professionals before making big changes to your dental hygiene routine or the appearance of your teeth. If youāve been hearing a lot about some new fad, run it by the dentist the next time you come in for a cleaning!