This is the new challenge that is shaking the Anglo-Saxon web on Tiktok, a social network of short viral videos: young adults invite others to file their teeth to have a perfect smile. Videos that horrify dental professionals.
How to talk about yourself? By doing anything, this is the lesson to be learned from an American starlet who managed to make the buzz by filing her teeth with a nail file last June. Shared on the short video social network TikTok, the video has been viewed 435,000 times and has been liked 51,000 times. Since then, other avid light users have reproduced this “aesthetic” act to have perfectly aligned teeth. A gesture that horrifies oral health professionals. Doctor Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon and spokesperson for the French Union for Oral Health, agreed to answer our questions.
Why is this not to be done?
It is an aberration! From the moment you file a tooth surface, you release part of the enamel that will never grow back! In addition, filing your teeth with a nail file can create a rough surface, which is a favorable adhesion zone for dental plaque, made up of saliva and bacteria. Thus the bacteria will cling to the unpolished part and thus promote the formation of cavities.
What is the role of tooth enamel?
Enamel is the outer layer of the tooth that protects it. It is an important structure. By eliminating it, the dentin (or ivory) is exposed, which makes the tooth more sensitive to hot and cold. But the enamel does not reform, it is for life. As a result, its thickness is diluted over time. Chewing, tooth brushing or the regular consumption of acidic products such as sodas – even light ones – causes dental erosion, that is to say a chemical dissolution of the enamel by acidity. Having a less efficient enamel increases the risk of the appearance of cavities and can cause tooth sensitivity.
Yet dentists file teeth well…
Yes, but only in very specific situations. On a micro-chip related to a shock, some dentists may consider polishing the tooth provided that it is minimal. There is also the method of stripping, or dental remodeling: the dentist wants to remove contact points between the anterior teeth [incisives et canines, NDLR] to save space in order to reposition them and for this he files the teeth. However, it does it perfectly in order to avoid the appearance of dental plaques and with clean material, because nothing tells us that there are not germs present on the nail file which can then infect the gum tissue.
Some young people seem to do it for aesthetic reasons
It will not because a rough surface retains all the colored pigments of our food such as coffee, tea or tobacco. It will thus more easily color the teeth. If you want to improve your smile: consult your dentist! He can polish you for aesthetics or refer you to an orthodontist to change their placement.
Have you had clients who have filed their own teeth?
No. I discovered this phenomenon on social networks a few days ago. I strongly advise people not to do this.
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