Orthodontics Preventative Care
Do it Yourself Tooth Straightening Can Be Hazardous To Your Health and Appearance
“I just want my money back, so I can fix my teeth properly from the damage they have done. I spoke to my orthodontist, and they said that it is best to just fix my teeth with braces.” – Do It Yourself Tooth Straightening customer complaint.
In recent years, there has been an increase in adults searching for ways to have a better smile. They are realizing that tooth straightening can have many benefits. Obviously, straight teeth look better and many studies have proven that a more confident smile can lead to more social success, better jobs, and even higher salaries, but…
Straight smiles are more than just for appearance, a straighter smile is healthier:
- Straight teeth prevent food and plaque from getting stuck between the teeth.
- An uneven bite often leads to teeth clenching and grinding which is a leading cause of headaches.
- Orthodontists encourage regular dental checkups, cleaning, and optimal home care. So your entire dental health improves.
Recently, some unscrupulous companies have come out with “Do It Yourself Tooth Straightening.” One such company is Smiles Direct, but there are others as well, such as Ortho FX. As astonishing as it sounds, treatment is questionable. These D.I.Y. tooth straightening companies require you to take your own dental impressions then they mail you the orthodontic devices. You are completely unsupervised for the entire treatment.
5 Major Disadvantages to Do It Yourself Tooth Straightening:
- There are no dental examination or x-rays: Decay or any other dental complications need to be examined before you start and monitored during treatment. A straighter smile will not mean anything if you end up losing your tooth because you were not diagnosed properly.
- Regular checkups are not required: Regular checkups are always required. For a healthier smile, you should go to the dentist at least every six months. It is important to have your teeth thoroughly cleaned and examined to prevent any long-term health complications.
- No clear outcome to get a better bite: It may appear like you have straighter teeth, but still may not be aligned. An uneven bite can cause more complications later on, such as headaches and jaw pain.
- No mid-course corrections or re-evaluations are performed: Orthodontists PROFESSIONALLY and with LOTS of training oversee how the process is going. They ensure your smile is on track and able to make the appropriate changes if needed.
- And no one is checking for decay or periodontal disease!
Who could have predicted that this might not go well for too many people! Finally, the American Dental Association and the F D A is starting to look into these businesses. The ADA “strongly discourages” the practice of do-it-yourself orthodontics because of the potential for harm to patients, according to a policy passed by the 2017 ADA House of Delegates through Resolution 50H-2017.
At Dental Care of Stamford, we have seen a few of these disasters that require professional dental treatment to fix the problems that often cost a lot more than the original treatment would have cost at the start. Not to mention the time and damage that cannot be fixed. We hope that The F D A will stop this practice of “a non-dentist literally practicing unsupervised dental treatment” before too much more harm is done.
Having complications with your D.Y.I Tooth straighten? We have the experience, call us for a free consultation!
Sebo Marketing
March 21st, 2022
