"She didn't outright say no, but she emphasized sticking to proven methods and warned about potential gum irritation or bracket loosening if oils linger too long."
That's interesting—I had a similar conversation with my ortho about activated charcoal toothpaste. She wasn't thrilled either, mentioning it could scratch enamel or mess with the brackets. Makes me wonder how many of these trendy dental hacks actually get vetted by professionals before going viral... Has anyone else gotten warnings about other popular DIY dental trends?
That's interesting—I had a similar conversation with my ortho about activated charcoal toothpaste. She wasn't thrilled either, mentioning it could scratch enamel or mess with the brackets.
I had a similar experience when I asked my dentist about those DIY whitening strips from TikTok. She gave me this patient-but-firm look and said something along the lines of, "Just because it's trending doesn't mean it's safe." Apparently, some of those homemade whitening recipes can really mess up your enamel or even cause sensitivity issues down the line. Honestly, after hearing about the charcoal toothpaste scratching enamel, I'm starting to think twice about anything dental-related that goes viral...
Yikes, reading this thread is making me second-guess everything I've seen online lately. I was actually considering trying one of those DIY aligner hacks because braces are so expensive, but now I'm seriously reconsidering. Has anyone heard if those clear aligner kits you order online (the legit-looking ones, not random TikTok stuff) are actually safe? Or is it better to just bite the bullet and go through an ortho directly...
Honestly, I was in the exact same boat a couple months ago. Almost pulled the trigger on one of those "legit" online aligners because the price difference was tempting. But then my cousin shared her horror story—she tried one of the reputable-looking kits and ended up with a messed-up bite and jaw pain. Had to spend even more at the ortho to fix it. So yeah, after hearing that, I decided to just suck it up and go directly to a professional. Better safe than sorry, right?
"Better safe than sorry, right?"
Totally agree with this. I almost went the DIY route myself, but my dentist talked me out of it. Glad he did... teeth aren't something I'd gamble with. Good call going pro.
