Star smile, white teeth... Beware of the dangerous promises of social networks!

Dental mutilation, non-validated orthodontic treatments, dangerous whitening products... The many practices encouraged by social networks are leading more and more patients to seriously endanger their oral health. Faced with this observation, the French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD) is once again sounding the alarm on the repercussions of these practices carried out without medical supervision.

These trends often have an aesthetic aim, and mainly affect a young and female population. One of the latest fashionable practices, those of "shark teeth", consists of having your teeth filed to put veneers on them, with the promise of a star smile. In practice, the placement of custom-made veneers requires slightly smoothing the surface of the tooth from the patient's dental impression, then bonding the ceramic veneers on top. But recently, TikTok influencers traveled as far as Dubai and Turkey, thinking they could benefit from this treatment, and ended up with full crowns. “In France, full crowns are reserved for damaged or broken teeth because it requires the removal of a large volume of dental tissue. Doing so for all healthy teeth amounts to practicing mutilation with a risk of mortification of these teeth”, underlines Dr. Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon and national spokesperson for the French Union for Oral Health ( UFSBD).

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Dentists also find themselves powerless in the face of patients who have inappropriately used orthodontic treatments aimed at aligning teeth. "They have provided themselves with these treatments, and very often come to consult too late, when the damage is already there", says Dr. Lequart. However, the misuse of these devices can lead to tooth displacement, occlusion problems, and even root lesions. Tooth loss is one of the most serious complications. “If the patient suffers from gum disease, the orthodontic treatment will force the teeth to move when they do not have sufficient bone support, which can increase the risk of tooth loosening. It is for this reason that we cannot consider orthodontic treatment without medical advice because if the mouth is not healthy, it must first be treated”, explains the dentist.

In the same way, it is illusory to think of obtaining an immaculate smile with lightening products sold over the counter in the form of toothpastes, powders or gels to be applied. These products contain varying amounts of bleaching agents, including hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. According to European regulations, their maximum concentration is 6% for products reserved for dental surgeons, and only 0.1% for products sold in pharmacies, supermarkets and beauty salons. “We are seeing more and more that the products sold on the net greatly exceed the concentration of 0.1% or even reach concentrations higher than those that we, practitioners, can use in the office, warns Dr. Christophe Lequart. But they can be very dangerous.”

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If they do not lead, at best, to the absence of results, these products can indeed lead to the opposite of the expected effects. “If the patient has cavities or gum disease, the product risks penetrating inside the tooth, affecting the dental pulp, which causes a loss of vitality and a higher risk of loosening,” says Dr Lequart. . In addition, professionals recall the ineffectiveness of these whitening products on a tooth reconstructed with composite resins or ceramic crowns. The patient therefore risks ending up with uneven coloring between the natural teeth, on which the product acts, and the reconstructed teeth, on which it is inactive.

With regard to coal-based products, such as certain toothpastes, they only eliminate so-called surface stains which are linked to our lifestyles (consumption of coffee, tea, tobacco, etc.). “The problem with coal grains is their abrasive effect. They effectively eliminate the unwanted coloring, but also the layer of enamel that protects the tooth, thus exposing the tissue just below called dentin and ivory,” says Dr Christophe Lequart. The application of whitening products without medical supervision promotes the formation of cavities in addition to worsening the patient's discomfort with the color of their teeth.

Dental associations and health authorities therefore call on users to remain cautious about the promises of misleading advertisements. Stricter regulation is also strongly expected in order to prevent disappointment and protect the oral health of the public.