It’s easy to get tempted by a dental fad you’ve come across online. Maybe you’re looking for a way to skip the dental visit and save some money, or maybe you’re just big into do-it-yourself projects and want to try your hand at something new. Whatever the case may be, it’s not just that we’re trying to get you to come to us instead of taking care of your dental health entirely on your own. It can actually be dangerous to attempt one of these dental trends at home, and we don’t want you making your smile or oral health worse because you weren’t fully informed, or because someone not so reputable led you to believe something was a good idea. Here are some dangerous dental fads that we advise you to stay away from:
- Oil Pulling
- Teeth Whitening Experiments
- DIY Dental Fillings
- At-Home Extractions
Oil pulling is when you swish oil (such as coconut oil) around your mouth and then spit it out to supposedly pull out toxins. You’ll find plenty of people on the internet who praise oil pulling and how it made their teeth cleaner or even whiter. The fact is, there isn’t enough scientific evidence out there to prove these claims. If you practice oil pulling too frequently or if you do it incorrectly, it’s possible that you could end up with an upset stomach or in rare cases a condition called lipoid pneumonia. Although oil pulling probably isn’t going to directly harm your teeth, your oral health will suffer if oil pulling is used instead of daily brushing and flossing!
Everyone dreams of having perfectly white teeth so it’s not surprising that people will often attempt to get these results at home without going to a dentist for a supervised treatment. The problem is that while trying to remove surface stains, you may end up removing your tooth enamel, which doesn’t grow back. Charcoal and baking soda are two trendy items to use for homemade whitening, but since they’re both abrasive materials, they could leave with you thinner enamel and sensitive teeth. For dramatic results, ask us about our professional teeth whitening services that are safe and effective.
Some people who have cavities and need dental fillings may try and handle the issue themselves with a temporary filling kit from the web so they can avoid a bill from the dentist. However, without the proper knowledge and tools, you will just be making the issue worse. For starters, it’s not good enough to just fill in the problem. Unless all of the decay is gone, it can spread and cause you more pain and stress in the future. Another concern is that the materials in the filling kit might be toxic since they’re probably not coming from a reputable dental professional. Here at Jones Creek Family Dentistry, we can restore your smile to full health with our virtually painless restorative dentistry treatments.
If we say it’s not safe to do your own dental fillings, you’re probably not surprised to hear that you definitely shouldn’t be doing at-home extractions. There are a lot of considerations made when pulling a tooth to ensure its safely and painlessly removed. When you’re doing that at home without X-rays or the proper tools, it’s kind of like shooting in the dark. You don’t want to make a serious situation even worse by trying to get rid of a bad tooth on your own! Let our knowledgeable team take care of any teeth that need to be removed.
Consult with Our Expert Team!
If you have any more questions related to your dental health, please feel free to contact Jones Family Dentistry. We’d much rather you ask us then go about doing something that could harm your smile. Our friendly, judgment-free team is here to help.
Contact Us
