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Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you will have noticed the rise of the ‘life-hack’. These so-called life-hacks are designed to make everyday tasks easier, but they often just become more convoluted. Life-hacks dominate a lot of the content on the internet, being consumed by hundreds of millions of people daily. They cover a wide variety of topics, including a recent emergence of teeth related life hacks. Unfortunately, these hacks are at best inane and at worst dangerous.
‘Teeth-Hack’ Examples
These hacks cover various niches within the oral landscape, from teeth whitening to straightening to combatting bad breath. Starting with teeth whitening, a number of methods are touted as the best, most effective method for teeth whitening ever to grace the internet. But, firstly, if these methods were that good, dentists worldwide would be using them. One of the most popular teeth whitening hacks is the lemon juice and baking soda method. However, baking soda is abrasive, and lemon juice is highly acidic, meaning this method simply weakens the tooth’s enamel making it more likely that you will experience other periodontal issues.
These online hacks have also given rise to a homemade rubber band braces movement. This trend involves placing small, robust rubber bands around the teeth in an attempt to move them around and close any gaps between the teeth. These bands can lodge themselves into your gums, requiring surgery to remove and often, the teeth they are wrapped around need removing too. Some people think DIY braces are a great option to straighten their teeth cheaply, but they can cause a plethora of unprecedented complications.
Why do People Try Them?
There are also a number of websites and videos which depict several other dental procedures that willing participants can carry out at home, such as extractions or fillings. Most people choose to try these hacks thinking that they will be cheaper and easier. However, they often cause further issues which are more costly to fix. Oftentimes, it works out cheaper to get these issues addressed by a dentist in the first place.
Many Brits also have an intense fear of going to the dentists, preferring instead to try and fix their problems at home. Unfortunately, again in doing so, these people often have to spend more time at the dentists having more invasive procedures to rectify the problems they have caused. If you have a fear of the dentists, there are some things that you can try to alleviate the stress it causes. Some people are comforted by wearing headphones as it can be the sounds of the drills and other dental instruments that create the most anxiety. Although that being said, this fear is often assuaged best by going to the right dentists. There are practitioners out there who are better able to treat those with fears; they are able to put their patients at ease. For example, Oracle Dental have locations in Shrewsbury and Stafford, and they prioritise patient care and comfort.
In Conclusion
Life-hacks very rarely work. However, when it comes to your health and wellbeing, it is all the more important to ensure that you are receiving care from professionals like dentist Saffron Walden. The health of your teeth can affect other aspects of your mental and physical health, so it is of the utmost importance that you take care of them properly, and DIY dentistry isn’t the way to do this.