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Please, Please, Please Don’t File Down Your Teeth

Posted by: Dr. Sirakian     Categories: Uncategorized

We’ve seen a disturbing trend on TikTok where people, mostly teens, have been filing down their front teeth in order to make them ‘even’ or ‘straight’. We can’t believe we have to say this, but please don’t do it. We can’t stress enough just how bad this is, but let’s discuss the gruesome details of what you’re actually doing to your mouth.

First let’s talk about the trauma you’re inflicting on your teeth. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away with thinned enamel that increases the sensitivity of your teeth to hot and cold. This might not sound so bad, but when we say sensitivity, we basically mean the pain of a severe brain freeze, but in your teeth. And as we said, that’s if you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky you might actually expose a nerve and cause unimaginable pain.

The thinned enamel also increases the tooth’s susceptibility to really bad cavities that could result in needing a root canal. The root canal treatment won’t really hurt, but the hours or days waiting to get into the dental chair will be excruciating, as anyone who’s had a root canal can attest to.

Now let’s address the myth that filing down a tooth would even make it ‘even’ or ‘straight’ to begin with. Put simply, that is not the case, the tooth will only have the appearance of being straight when in reality the tooth will now be misshapen if it were ever to be shifted into an actual straight position later on. Not only that but changing the shape of the tooth could change the way you bite down in an unexpected way that could result in other dental complications down the line.

Orthodontists spend years in training to make sure that teeth are not only straightened, but done so in a way that doesn’t cause issues at the root level or cause an uneven bite. If you want straight teeth, go to a dentist and ask about your options instead of causing major harm to your teeth.

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It’s a feeling we’ve all experienced at some point or another: a parched, gritty, can’t-get-water-fast-enough sensation that’s unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is a medical condition that we tend to write off as mere dehydration. While taking a big gulp of water can help in the short-term, if your […]

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Dentistry: Not Just for Humans!

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What Other Surgeries Can an Endodontist Perform?

While endodontists are known as specialists in root canal therapy, they actually specialize in saving teeth by working with the inside of the tooth. Endodontists can do a variety of surgeries to save your natural tooth. One of these surgeries is called an apicoectomy. An apicoectomy is needed when conventional root canal treatment cannot treat […]

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The Impact of Pacifier Use on Your Baby’s Teeth

There are a few benefits as to why pacifiers should be given to babies. Research has shown that pacifiers can actually help reduce incidences of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Babies who suck on pacifiers during sleep don’t fall into as deep a sleep as those who don’t suck on pacifiers. This means that if […]

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