The Dangers Of "Do It Yourself" Braces

D.I.Y. braces is a growing trend that began several years ago and picked up steam in 2015. Video tutorials on blogs and YouTube are everywhere.

This video posted by Shalom DeSota in 2012, has over 1 million views of her using cheap elastic bands to close the gap in her front teeth. While it worked for her, many haven't been so lucky.

A website, www.teethgap.com, sells something called teeth gap bands. The website claims that using the band on your front teeth 12 hours a night will close your gap with time. What the site doesn't tell you is that it can go horribly, horribly wrong.

This disturbing image came from the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. A patient attempted to close the front tooth gap using "gap bands", but the band submerged underneath the gum causing ligament and bone damage.

Some companies, like Smile Direct Club, are attempting to bypass orthodontic expenses by offering patients the chance to do impressions of their teeth at home that are then shipped back to create plastic aligners.

Mail-in orthodontics bypasses important examinations, checks for tooth decay, and ongoing supervision of the correction process. The same can be said for "gap bands" and other elastic band techniques. There's a reason orthodontists are require to take 7 years of graduate school to practice.