"DIY" Teeth Straightening: the Magic Alternative to Braces? Rubber Bands and 3-D printed trays: Seriously...Seriously dangerous!

 

"DIY" Teeth Straightening: the Magic Alternative to Braces? Rubber Bands and 3-D printed trays: Seriously?...Seriously dangerous!

By: Taylor

         Most orthodontic patients want braces to improve their smiles.  Sure, getting a healthy bite is important but more than anything, they want to feel more confident about the way they look.  Braces can be expensive though and can take 1-2 years depending on the case.  Have you heard about a scary trend of using a tiny hair elastic that anyone could purchase by the hundreds at a drug store to close spaces without braces though?
          Let's admit it: social media is more effective in today's socitey than that local newspaper that gets dropped off to your house on Sunday's. There are hundreds of different sites and apps at the tips of our fingers that help connect information or people in different ways such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and last but not least, Pintrest. Pintrest is great for creative ideas for hair, makup and delicious recipes but is it really the answer to all of our orthodontic questions? Recently, posts on Pinterest have been highlighting how someone can use a hair elastic to close those little spaces between our front teeth!   But at what cost and risk?
          What most people don't realize is the damage these at-home remedies have on their teeth. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics issued a consumer alert about the use of elastic bands by non-orthodontists to close gaps in teeth which stated that while there are some people that have done this on their own with little or no harm done to the teeth, the rubber band can "slide into the soft tissues, where it is difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve it, then continue along the length the roots, destroying the periodontal attachment and produce inflammation". They then stated that "the teeth then extrude, the crowns of the teeth fan out as the roots are pulled together, the teeth become increasingly mobile" which can lead to tooth loss. I think we can all agree that the tiny space is NOT worth losing your teeth over. Let's leave the teeth-straightening to the professionals.

          Here are some examples of what people attempt vs what really happens: Warning...some of the photos are graphic:

We recently had a patient come into our Barberton office requesting to have her space closed.  She attempted to close the space on her own with a hair tie and showed us a picture she took on her cell phone of her own mouth.  Notice in the picture how the gums are red and swollen.  The rubber band was trapped under her gums.  Luckily she sought the services of a specialist and corrected the problem before a serious issue occurred.  Believe it or not, this stuff is happening in Akron Ohio. 

What about 3-D printed retainers to move your teeth? Yup, someone has tried it.  See the link below for the article: http://makezine.com/2016/03/20/can-you-fix-your-own-teeth-with-3d-printed-retainers/

 

Our suggestion, if you want your teeth straightened, see an orthodontist.  As orthodontist has 6-7 years of advanced education after 4 years of college.  We are the professionals and the easiest and cheapest way out is rarely the best.  If you live in the Akron Ohio area, don't try to do it yourself at home.  Give us a call to discuss your needs and schedule a complimentary consultation.

2nd Opinions Are Our Favorite Opinions--A Means of Comparison

We received a compliment the other day that really was impactful.  We regularly do post-treatment surveys, and while it's always nice to get positive feedback from our patients, this compliment summed up the goal of what we strive for with our orthodontic practice--a unique experience, excellent results with ideal customer service.  The main idea of the compliment was that our orthodontic office was truly DIFFERENT from others in the Akron area--and this family had a true means of comparison.

The compliment came from a parent who has four children; 3 of whom had completed braces and the two eldest went to two different orthodontists. For their oldest child, they chose an office that had a good reputation, a high price tag (which they thought meant they were the best) and four doctors.  They were happy with the result but the family's experience was not ideal.  They were bothered by the fact that a different doctor saw their child every visit, appointments were not on-time and the front desk was rude. Thankfully, their child got a nice smile.  For their second child, they figured that if the expensive practice had poor customer service, they might as well pay less for the same result.  They went with a chain orthodontic practice that had a low price.   They were disappointed with the result and once again, felt the customer service was poor.

Under the strong word of mouth referral from a neighbor, they came to our practice for the treatment of their third child.   They knew that orthodontics was an investment and to some degree, you pay for what you get--they learned this lesson the hard way.  Besides the cost game though, they were also a bit jaded with the fact that with both kids, they had NEVER had a good customer service experience.  We had an uphill battle in front of us but we were confident in the Barnett Orthodontics experience!

As we learned from them in our post treatment survey, getting both a fair price and excellent customer service was a reality for every family.  The biggest point they made, was that orthodontics is NOT a commodity which you can buy at any store and get the same result/experience no matter where you buy it. We couldn't agree more.

In the Akron Ohio area, there are at least 10 different choices for an orthodontist.  Put on top of that, the fact that some general dentists do limited orthodontic work and there are possibly 20 choices for you or your child to seek braces or Invisalign services--but as evidenced here, not all offices are created equal.

This family was excited to start their fourth child with us!  Give us a call to experience our experience.

Barnett Orthodontics: 330-745-4497
Located in Barberton but serving all neighboring Akron, Ohio communities.