DIY Braces Dangerous, Dentists Warn! Elastic Band The Latest Craze Among Teens

DIY teeth braces are the new trend currently popular among teens but professional orthodontists warn that this may end up with them losing perfectly good teeth.

Teens are using cheap hair elastics to close the gaps between their teeth in an effort to substitute proper orthodontia. According to a report by Metro, the process is called "gap band" and could cause damage to the gums that dental experts even issued a consumer alert on the American Journal of Orthodontic & Dentofacial Orthopedic (AJO-DO).

One such trendy but dangerous "gap band" process was made into a video by Youtuber Shalom DeSota. The video was filmed by a teenage girl and demonstrated how hair elastics could be used to "straighten teeth and close gaps," according to website Refinery29.

"I wanted to get braces but, of course, braces are really expensive.." the girl said in the video which was published way back in 2012. "So today, I'm going to teach you how to make [them at home]... It's gonna hurt, especially the first few days...but don't [give up], because it's totally worth it in the end."

According to Daily Mail, it is alarming that many similar DIY teeth braces have been published online. Another video by YouTuber Raeyel was captioned by the user as a successful method she has been using for 5 years and claimed that it closed her teeth gaps over time.

According to the AJO-DO PSA created by Rolf G. Behrents, although elastics have been widely used in dentistry, professionals use dentistry-grade elastics on their patients with great care and supervision. Dentists do not simply attach an ordinary rubber band to close teeth gaps as this is "below the standard of care" and considered to be a "malpractice".

"So that it is crystal clear, I am not suggesting that elastics should not be manufactured, sold and bought. To the contrary, we buy elastics and use them in our clinic every day, but we apply them in specific ways and in a controlled fashion," Behrents wrote. "Furthermore, every orthodontist I know does the same thing. Instead, the purpose of this editorial is to point out that the use of elastics in orthodontic tooth movement can be advantageous, but their use is also associated with disadvantages and risks. This should be known and appreciated by practitioners and consumers alike."

In addition to ordinary elastics being substandard, it is also considered highly dangerous. According to a report by Bustle, DIY braces can cause tooth decay, tooth loss, bone loss and root damage.