TikTok is filled with lots of weird and wonderful beauty hacks, from curling your hair with a dressing gown belt to creating your own freckles with fake tan.
However, a recent trend doing the rounds has left dental professionals worried.
One of the latest beauty hacks on the platform sees people filing their teeth down with a nail file, to make them appear more even.
Dentists have expressed concern for this new DIY procedure and many professionals on TikTok have even posted videos about the dangers around it.
Sunny Sihra, lead dentist and owner of the Simply Teeth Clinic, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Filing down your teeth using a nail file is incredibly damaging and could cause permanent damage to the tooth structure as well as the enamel around the edge of the tooth. You cannot regrow tooth enamel, so the damage is irreversible.
‘Any cosmetic contouring should only be done by a professional with appropriate sterilised instruments.’
Sunny goes on to explain the repercussions which could occur, as a result of DIY tooth filing.
He adds: ‘You may have to seek professional dental treatment to help repair any damage.
Is filing your teeth safe? @acerendulicc #dentist #teeth #filingdown #duet
‘If you start to file your teeth down so they are all the same length, you are preventing your teeth from remaining strong and healthy for longer and you may find that you have teeth troubles later on.’
Dentist Kailesh Solanki, advisor to dentalphobia.co.uk, agrees that while it might seem like a quick fix, it will undoubtedly cause problems down the line.
‘People filing down their teeth, as seen on TikTok, run the risk of damaging healthy tooth tissue or enamel, potentially causing issues such as sensitivity or pain,’ says Dr Kailesh Solanki.
‘Treatment might involve cosmetic dentistry or needing to have teeth filled, rebuilt or having crowns fitted
‘Filing, if not carried out professionally by a dentist, could easily crack the teeth and even leave roots exposed to infection which could not only be very painful but may ultimately result in bone loss and the need for extensive dentistry work.’
Dr Martina Hodgson, of The Dental Studio, adds that if a person is filing their tooth down because they are chipping, this might not solve the problem.
She says: ‘Filing your own teeth down using a nail file is a really bad idea. If your teeth are chipping at the front it is important that the reason for this is established by a qualified dentist. For example, the position of your lower teeth could be causing the chipping. By filing your teeth down they may look better for a while, but what happens when the chipping continues? You can’t keep filing them.’
But this isn’t the only TikTok beauty hack that’s alarmed dentists recently.
Last month, professionals warned against the trend which involves teens rubbing bleach straight on their teeth with a cotton bud, in an attempt to make them whiter.
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