And to relieve some of their boredom, many turned to TikTok for entertainment. Once known as Musical.ly, TikTok is a social media app that allows users to share short videos on any topic. It offers users a variety of sounds, song snippets, special effects, and filters they can use in creating their videos.
Its relatable and diverse content and creators have led to its success in recent years, especially during the pandemic. It has loads of content; you have cute cats, funny parodies, wonderful song covers, exciting dances, positive messages, and real-life stories. In fact, according to data from Sprinklr, a company focused on customer experience management software, 57% of mentions of TikTok on social media and news sites were positive.
However, it’s also full of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and dangerous viral social media challenges, despite there being rules against these types of videos in their community guidelines. With so many users and weak enforcement of content moderation, it’s easy for wrong information to circulate and hurt people.
Videos about medical and dental tips are particularly full of misinformation and dangerous trends, many of them about doing some treatments yourself. However trendy and well-liked these videos are, the tips given in these videos are often based upon a poor understanding of dental science. These videos can lead to expensive and sometimes permanent oral health problems for those who follow them.
One TikTok teeth trend that gained traction on the app was teeth shaving. Young people used nail files or sandpaper to shave down their uneven teeth to look straight and even. Some have even shown how they shaved teeth for veneers, filing them down to pegs.
How TikTok Teeth Shaving Became a 2020 Trend
This trend started when 19-year old Mia Dio decided to file down her uneven teeth using a standard nail file on a video she shared on TikTok in June 2020. Hers was one of the first few videos of DIY teeth shaving on TikTok, which was viewed 436,000 times; one teeth shaving Tiktok video amassed 8.4 million views.
TikTok user Aislinn Rendulic also tried the trend, but she was not as lucky as Dio. Her DIY teeth shaving resulted in sensitive teeth; she filed her teeth too much using a metal nail file instead of a foam one.
To combat the spread of this trend, tech-savvy dentists and other medical professionals with huge followings also used Tiktok and Instagram as their platforms of choice to reach patients, teach viewers how to do things safely, and warn against dangerous practices and bad advice. They also use their channels to educate their viewers and provide safer and better oral health care tips.
One of those dentists is Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin (@dr.m_), of Illinois. He shared his video response to a DIY tooth filing video, explaining the bumpy ridges on your teeth and the steps dentists take before teeth shaving.
Another dentist to use their TikTok channel is Arkansas-based dentist Dr. Ben Winters (@thebentist). He posted a video where he responded to another user’s teeth shaving TikTok video on Instagram. He said that while dentists and other orthodontists can do the procedure safely, it can also cause serious damage if performed at home.
Dangers of DIY Teeth Filing
This TikTok teeth shaving trend does not have a dentist’s degree of precision and control. Often, people shave off too much of their enamel, the teeth’s protective layer; you can see this in some teeth shaving before and after videos. Once removed, enamel doesn’t grow back and exposes the pulp and nerves, making them more susceptible to pain.
DIY teeth shaving also:
1. Accelerates Tooth Decay
Enamel also protects your teeth from cavities. Filing down your own teeth might remove too much enamel and expose its dentin layer. Dentin is more sensitive and less mineralized than enamel, making it vulnerable to bacteria that cause tooth decay.
2. Increases the Risk of Inflammation and Tooth Sensitivity
Thinner enamel exposes the pulp and dentin to more stimulus and allows more bacteria to enter your teeth, making them more sensitive and prone to inflammation and infection.
3. Needs Expensive Correction
Repairing the damage caused by the TikTok tooth shaving trend will require expert restorative or cosmetic dentistry procedures that are not cheap. Each damaged tooth may cost around $5000 to repair in two years with implants and crowns, and they won’t be as good as natural teeth.
4. Causes Bite Disruption
Filing your own teeth will also affect your bite. Teeth shaving changes your teeth’s shape, affecting how they fit with each other. This can cause tooth and jaw pain, sensitivity, and more damage that can affect overall health.
What is Teeth Filing?
Dentists do shave teeth. To perform teeth shaving — also known as odontoplasty or enameloplasty — dentists use the correct instruments and measurements to carefully remove small amounts of enamel in preparation for other restorative procedures or as a low-level cosmetic procedure.
Dentists shave teeth to:
1. Reshape Damaged Teeth
Although a small chip in your tooth might not seem to be a major problem, you will notice it every time you look in the mirror. Dentists use teeth shaving to correct these slight imperfections to improve your smile.
2. Create More Room In Your Mouth
Crowded teeth can cause crooked or misaligned teeth and jaw pain. Dentists file down some teeth to create enough space between your teeth to reduce teeth crowding and relieve the pain.
3. Add a Crown or Veneer
Crowns cover a broken tooth or a tooth with a root canal. Veneers are similar to crowns, except they only cover the front of the tooth. Dentists also use them to alter the size, shape, color, length, and form of your teeth and to close gaps.
Dentists may need to gently shave small portions of your teeth to make room for these teeth restoration procedures. This ensures an exact fit and preserves their patient’s bite.
4. Bite Adjustment and Jaw Pain Relief
If your upper and lower teeth are not aligned, dentists may recommend shaving or contouring some of your teeth that are causing the misalignment. TMJ disorder patients may also benefit from having their teeth shaved.
Research suggests that treating bite misalignment or disruption can reduce or eliminate tooth sensitivity and pain, allowing the jaw to close properly.
How Much Does Professional Teeth Filing Cost?
The cost of any orthodontic or dental procedure will depend on many factors, including where you live and how experienced the dentist is. A minor reshaping of one tooth may cost $50 to $300.
On the other hand, procedures like occlusal equilibration that reshapes multiple teeth and balances a patient’s bite may range from $650 to $1500, including follow-up care.
Feel free to talk to your dentist about the cost. Your dental insurance might cover part of the procedure, depending on the medical reason you need to have your teeth shaved.
Leave Teeth Filing to Professionals
Don’t DIY dental treatments; you might make things worse.
If you’re unhappy with your smile, there are many options to modify your teeth. Consult our dentists in Durango, CO, to learn how you can achieve the best smile possible.
