Your orthodontist sounds like a gem—wish mine had been half as communicative back when I had braces. I remember sitting there, mouth wide open, wondering why everything suddenly felt tighter or sharper... zero explanations given. It definitely added unnecessary stress, especially as a teen already dealing with enough awkwardness.
Honestly though, this DIY braces trend is pretty alarming. Teens seeing these viral hacks probably don't realize the serious damage they can cause—like permanent tooth loss or infections. Social media makes it look so easy and harmless, but dental procedures are complex for a reason. I'm curious if anyone's seen schools or dental offices doing anything proactive to educate teens about the dangers of these DIY trends? Seems like that could help prevent some of these horror stories from happening in the first place.
I totally get what you mean about orthodontists not explaining things clearly. Mine was nice enough, but I still remember feeling clueless half the time. Like, one day I'd have these rubber bands suddenly added, and I'd be thinking, "Wait...what are these even for?" Definitely adds to the anxiety when you're already self-conscious about your smile.
About the DIY braces thing—I haven't seen schools doing much yet, but my dentist's office recently put up posters in the waiting room warning about it. They even had a little pamphlet explaining why it's dangerous, with some pretty graphic pictures of what can go wrong (yikes). Maybe that's a good start?
Has anyone else noticed if their dentist or orthodontist is addressing this issue directly with younger patients? Would be interesting to know if it's becoming standard practice or just isolated cases.
My orthodontist hasn't mentioned DIY braces specifically, but last time I was there, I did notice a poster about "online dental trends" and how risky they can be. It wasn't super detailed though—just a quick warning. Honestly, I wish they'd talk about it more openly, especially since teens are probably seeing these hacks all over TikTok and YouTube. Maybe orthodontists assume we already know better?
Also, totally relate to feeling clueless at appointments. Last week, they put spacers in without really explaining why, and I spent the next three days googling if the pain was normal (spoiler: apparently it is). Wouldn't it make sense for them to just take a minute and explain stuff clearly? Or maybe they're worried it'll scare us off...I dunno.
Do you think it'd help if orthodontists had some kind of mandatory talk or video about DIY braces and other risky trends at the start of treatment? Seems like that could clear things up before anyone gets tempted to try something sketchy.
"Wouldn't it make sense for them to just take a minute and explain stuff clearly?"
Yeah, seriously, why don't they do that more often? I remember getting spacers too and panicking because no one warned me they'd feel like tiny torture devices for days. 😅 Honestly, a quick video or chat about DIY braces and other sketchy trends would probably save a lot of anxiety (and teeth). Maybe orthodontists assume we're all smarter than we actually are...?
Yeah, I feel this. When I first got braces, I legit thought something was wrong because my teeth felt loose and weirdly sensitive—no one mentioned that was normal. I spent days googling symptoms and freaking myself out. Maybe orthodontists just forget how scary it is for us newbies? Or maybe they think too much info will scare us off... but isn't it worse when we panic later on?
