Why DIY braces are a really bad idea
A viral video has dentists across the country shaking their heads; a young woman from Washington claims to have fixed the gap between her teeth…
DIY braces could cost you more money in the long run and could pose serious danger to your oral health. (Shutterstock)
A viral video has dentists across the country shaking their heads; a young woman from Washington claims to have fixed the gap between her teeth using do-it-yourself (DIY) braces made from hair elastics.
Jamila Garza posted her video in 2012, and since that time her cost-effective method has been picked up by a host of other users, with some DIY braces videos getting more than 100,000 views. “Ive got some news for you, she claims in her video. “My gap is officially closed.”
SEE ALSO: Oil pulling for healthier teeth: Does it really work?
With dental health care just as expensive as other hospital-level procedures, and with some health insurances not offering enough coverage, many people are more than willing to try a $5 fix without thinking about the possible repercussions.
According to New York City cosmetic dentist Gregg Lituchy, DIY braces are a horrible idea, and it has nothing to do with dentists suddenly losing money from thousands of people taking dentistry into their own hands. DIY braces are risky, he explained to Health, because the average person has no idea what is beneath their gums, or why a dental gap exists. If someone who unknowingly has an imbedded tooth beneath the gum line, for example, and tries DIY braces, they may end up disfiguring the healthy teeth on either side of the gap. What’s more, some teeth have more bone mass around the root and may not move evenly together with DIY braces. This is why people who have braces put on by a professional routinely visit to have the tension of their braces adjusted.
“An orthodontist who is constantly adjusting the elastics will take all of these factors into consideration, said Lituchy.
The American Dental Association chimes in on DIY braces
The risks of DIY braces have even gotten the attention of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), which issued a consumer warning about using elastics for at-home dental work. The warning details the history of elastics in dental care–and usually in a negative way. According to the Association, some cases of elastics as DIY braces result in painful soft-tissue injury and even the loss of teeth.
“?if the rubber band slides into the soft tissues, it is difficult if not impossible to retrieve it, and it continues along the distal surface of the roots, destroying the periodontal attachment and producing inflammation,” reads the statement. “As this occurs, the teeth extrude, the crowns fan out as the roots are pulled together, the teeth become increasingly mobile, and then they might just fall out.”
The AAO does note, however, that gap closure with elastics is possible. It is because of the risk and the uncontrollable nature of the process that it is considered below the approved standard of dental care when applied without the proper guidance of a professional.
SEE ALSO: The Affordable Care Acts dental insurance benefits for children
This is an extreme case of the dangerous effects of do-it-yourself braces on your gums. (Photo: AJO-DO Blog)
“So that it is crystal clear, I am not suggesting that elastics should not be manufactured, sold, and bought, wrote AJD-DO Editor-in-Chief Rolf G. Behrents. “To the contrary, we buy elastics and use them in our clinic every day, but we apply them in specific ways and in a controlled fashion. Furthermore, every orthodontist I know does the same thing. Instead, the purpose of this editorial is to point out that the use of elastics in orthodontic tooth movement can be advantageous, but their use is also associated with disadvantages and risks. This should be known and appreciated by practitioners and consumers alike.”
So, can you close the gap between two teeth using elastics? The answer is yes, but could you also suffer a mouth-deforming adverse event as a result? The answer is also yes. If DIY braces seem like a great way to save money, consider the medical costs you will incur if something goes wrong and needs to be fixed.
