Ben Winters, an orthodontist known on TikTok and YouTube as The Bentist, said that his educational videos reacting to dental DIY content have been an “absolute hit.” Other DIY practices that have gone viral include shaving down teeth with a nail file to make them appear straighter, wrapping office supply rubber bands around teeth to close gaps and removing braces at home with a spoon.ĭr.

Creators with technical backgrounds have posted about making their own dental gear, from an artist who made her own night guards to a creator who 3D-printed his own Invisalign. Many videos are relatively innocuous, like at-home teeth whitening “hacks” that are mild enough for people with sensitive teeth. Dental enamel doesn’t regenerate, so attempts to meet an already unattainable beauty standard can have lifelong consequences.ĭental DIY content is especially popular on TikTok. Tutorials for unsafe bodily alterations abound online, and those involving teeth can result in permanent damage. Many licensed dentists, orthodontists and oral surgeons, however, have expressed concern over the popularity of dental DIY content. TikTok and YouTube are brimming with tutorials that promise the perfect smile, without the exorbitant cost of visiting a dentist without insurance. The polished nature of social media can amplify viewers’ insecurities, especially if they don’t have access to affordable dental care. The tag #DIYdentist has over 3 million views on the app. Dental DIY content has become so pervasive on TikTok in recent years that it has begotten a generation of dentist-influencers who built followings by reacting to botched dental care. Geiger’s DIY attempt is not uncommon - although she said she didn’t permanently damage her teeth, others haven’t been so lucky. She documented the process on TikTok, joining hundreds of other viral dental “hacks” on the platform. Ahead of her 19th birthday in 2020, she bought dental cement, which is typically used for filling cavities, and applied the material to her teeth using the back of an earring. Since she didn’t have dental insurance and couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket expense, she turned to YouTube to change her teeth.

Although her teeth have always been “very healthy,” they didn’t look like the perfectly aligned pearly whites that she desperately wanted.

Gone Viral instaling