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Chris Bath:
Finding a good life hack online can sometimes seem like a game changer, but dentists across the country are calling for social media influencers to stop promoting dangerous at-home dental treatments that can lead to chemical burns, serious infections, and long-term damage.
Kezia Dawn:
They’re the TikTok hacks making dentists squirm. Social media influencers using their online platforms to promote tips and tricks, but dentists say these viral videos are doing more harm than good.
Dr Michael Cai:
Baking soda itself is very abrasive.
Dr Stephen Liew:
There’s so many trends here that are influencing young people to think that they can improve their teeth using methods that are actually quite dangerous.
Kezia Dawn:
According to a recent survey, 22% of Australians have done some form of teeth whitening, most common with those aged 24 to 34. Of those, just one third of people did it under a dentist’s supervision, while 39% used an online teeth whitening kit.
Dr Michael Cai:
These chemical products that’s very acidic can actually cause chemical burns. People actually lose a lot of gum tissue and burn their lips or the tongue or their cheeks.
Kezia Dawn:
The top five hacks dentists are concerned about include using a nail file to shave down teeth, toxic chemicals including cleaning products to whiten teeth, acidic techniques like rubbing lemons on the enamel, DIY hydrogen peroxide, and using rubber bands to close gaps as opposed to professional orthodontics.
Dr Michael Cai:
And the worst case I’ve seen is a teenage girl tried to put rubber band on her teeth to try to close the gaps. The band got stuck into the gums and caused a gum abscess.
Dr Michael Cai:
If you’re going to drink red wine, tea, coffee, all the good stuff in life, just rinse your mouth afterwards.
Kezia Dawn:
Kezia Dawn for 10 News First.
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