Arnold MO Dentist Notes – Do It Yourself Braces Are Hazardous To Your Health

While a perfect smile is a symbol of status and physical beauty, the way many people have chosen to go about obtaining one has been detrimental to their health. The cost of braces certainly aren’t cheap, and individuals are now taking it upon themselves to do their own orthodontic procedures at what seems to be a cost-free alternative, but this couldn’t be more untrue. Do-it-yourself braces have become an increasingly more popular trend, especially in today’s society with online access to a wealth of information. Step-by-step tutorials have been posted on the web tp sites like YouTube showing kids and teens at home methods to create DIY braces in hopes of straightening their teeth without visiting a professional. What these individuals don’t realize is that these at home options not only don’t work, but they create permanent, and potentially life-threating issues, if used.

David Campbell, a Missouri man, attempted do-it-yourself braces in hopes of obtaining straighter pearly white teeth, but his quest for a quick fix turned into a long-lasting nightmare. Campbell was wrapping a small rubber band around his two front teeth attempting to close a gap. The teeth actually ended up dying after the rubber band was sucked up into the base of the root, causing David not only lose his two front teeth, but to wear a retainer with two fake front teeth on it for nearly 8 years until he could afford dental implants, which cost thousands of dollars in surgery and materials.

Dr. Rolph Behrents, an expert in orthodontics, states that “There is no fear here which is the problem, you can see that many individuals in the tutorial videos are talking quietly because they don’t want mom or dad to hear.” Behrents said he has 67 case files that are similar to David Campbell’s.

Parents beware, products of do-it-yourself braces kits on the market are coming from foreign countries such as China, and are being marketed to kids and teens, encouraging them to fix their own dental problems, ultimately ending in severe circumstances. Talk to your children, and protect them from a potentially fatal situation.

For a better understanding of the detriments do-it-yourself braces pose, view this video now.