You might be tempted to try some of the dental fads below, but we recommend you think twice before you do. These are 6 fads you should avoid to protect your oral health!
1. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a practice in which you swish coconut, sesame, or sunflower oil around your mouth for twenty minutes straight. While it may help freshen breath, it’s not a substitute for traditional oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing. Don’t use oil pulling as your only method for cleaning your teeth and gums or you could develop cavities and other oral health problems.
2. Grills
Grills are a type of removable jewelry that are worn over your teeth that became widely popular in the mid-2000s. While you may think they look cool, these grills can be incredibly damaging to your teeth. The grills can push on and irritate your gums, while the materials that the grills are made out of can erode your tooth enamel.
3. Tooth Gems
Another fad involving wearing jewelry on your teeth is tooth gems. Tooth gems are jewels that are placed onto your teeth using strong, harmful adhesives. The gems themselves can also cause unsightly discoloration that can only be restored by professional teeth whitening. They also can wear away the enamel on your teeth, making your teeth more prone to damage and infection.
4. Charcoal
Brushing your teeth with charcoal is yet another fad that is incredibly dangerous for your teeth. Some believe that charcoal can help to whiten and clean your teeth naturally, but it’s actually a very abrasive material that damages your enamel. Furthermore, non-activated charcoal is toxic so be sure to play it safe and keep any kind of charcoal away from your mouth.
5. Rinsing with Hydrogen Peroxide
While hydrogen peroxide is an ingredient found in whitening products, you should not rinse with it to whiten your teeth. Used on its own as a whitening agent, hydrogen peroxide can cause damage to your teeth and gums. If you’re interested in whitening your teeth at home, we offer professional whitening take-home trays that will give you beautiful results without risking your oral health with hydrogen peroxide.
6. Tongue Piercings
It may not be too much of a surprise that a foreign object in your mouth, like a tongue piercing, can pose a risk to your teeth and gums. Tongue piercings invite bacteria into your mouth that can quickly spread to your gums and cause gum disease. There’s also the risk that you could chip a tooth on a hard piercing. If you’re interested in getting a piercing, definitely avoid a tongue piercing!
If you have additional questions about these harmful dental fads, be sure to discuss them with us at your next cleaning.