Clearly, our teens are never short of (bad) ideas when it comes to ruining their health. Their latest fad to date: find a nice smile … but without going through the box orthodontist. And on Youtube, tutorial videos abound: “Do it yourself: have aligned teeth for free”, “How to have aligned teeth without braces? “,” Align your teeth yourself “… Promises that can make you want. And if the phenomenon is currently marginal in France (phew!), It is very fashionable in Asia and the United States, where orthodontic treatments are the most expensive.
Be careful, the techniques used are quite artisanal. On some videos, the authors explain, for example, how to make a ” braces home-made ”using simple rubber bands – those found on dental braces, precisely. In practice, we place the elastic around two teeth that we want to bring together and we tighten them well in order to “glue” them together … hoping that the correction is done by itself over time.
Gum infection, loosening of the teeth
The problem is, the dangers of these seemingly harmless practices are very real. “The adolescent risks a infection of thegum, but also that the teeth are not moving in the right direction. Worse still, the elastic may move up along the teeth, penetrating the gum and thus entraining the loosening of teeth, these are no longer retained by the bone ”explains the French Federation of Orthodontics (FFO) in a press release. The FFO also recalls that the first orthodontic consultation is generally reimbursed in full by Social Security … A good reason to warn our teenagers against this (new) dangerous trend.
