There have been multiple instances in the UK of patients taking matters into their own hands when it comes to dental care, from using pliers for tooth extractions or superglue to mend crowns – resulting in dire outcomes for themselves and other individuals involved.
Social media provides individuals with DIY remedies for oral health problems; some attempt to treat their problems themselves at home using these DIY hacks. This article highlights why this approach could be dangerous.
Cost
Routine dental hygiene care should be undertaken safely and appropriately at home, but any attempts at conducting complex procedures without professional training and experience is potentially hazardous and may cause lasting damage.
As much as social media may make DIY hacks seem like effective solutions for people unable to afford dentist visits, most are short-term stopgap measures that may even increase damage – for instance using over-the-counter filling kits to treat cavities can only worsen conditions and necessitate even more costly dental visits in the end.
DIY teeth straightening can be both ineffective and costly for the patient, potentially damaging enamel, gums, and leading to expensive orthodontic treatments in the future. Unfortunately, time, expense, and damage caused by misguided DIY dental solutions often exceeds that of visiting the dentist supervised visit for consultation and assessment.
Safety
DIY trends abound online, offering users access to interior designers, carpenters, wedding planners and dentists who can serve as interior decorators, carpenter or wedding planner without hiring external help. While some DIY practices may be safe, others could do serious damage to teeth or gums.
Relying on rubber bands or dental floss to move teeth can cause irreparable damage that will require costly orthodontic treatment and lead to pain and discomfort.
No one disputes that the UK faces a dental care crisis, yet few realize the full scope of it and its serious ramifications. Not only is access a major problem; quality also poses issues.
Time after time, patients seek ways to cut corners in order to save costs or evade dreaded dental drills; but in doing so they pay dearly with costly repairs and lost work days that prevent restoring healthy smiles.
Time
Interior designers, carpenters, wedding planners and chefs have found ways to harness the internet for interior decorating purposes; but DIY dentistry treatments should never become part of our lives as DIY filling kits and retainers can have devastating outcomes if done improperly.
Influencers and social media personalities frequently advocate for “hacks” that promise to make things simpler, faster, cheaper and often safer than visiting professionals – however this isn’t always the case – especially with DIY dental hacks.
No one disputes that access to NHS dentistry in the UK is in crisis, with reports of people living in dental deserts and turning to DIY solutions for problems like gapped or crookedness in their teeth. This stems from years of neglect, underfunding, and the discredited 2006 NHS Dental Contract that pays dentists only one filling at a time (thereby discouraging longer treatments), yet all this could change if access were improved, patient charges decreased, and reform happened effectively.
Complications
DIY dental hacks may appear harmless at first, but they are highly dangerous. Such DIY solutions can lead to long-term damage of teeth, gums and ligaments resulting in pain, discomfort or even tooth loss.
DIY treatments may only mask real oral issues; without the training and equipment of a dentist it may be hard to identify their source. DIY treatment may even lead to infection whereas professional dentists use sterile environments and sterilized tools in order to reduce risks of infections.
No secret exists regarding the UK’s severe access issues when it comes to NHS dentistry, with patients traveling long distances for treatments or resorting to DIY remedies if no appropriate services exist in their areas. Perhaps if patient charges were limited, adequate funding provided, and reasonable contracts in place these issues might be prevented altogether.
