The Oral Health Foundation (OHF) has launched a ‘Safe Smiles’ campaign to address the alarming rise in dangerous DIY dentistry. Greater use of social media means that the last few years have seen an increased desire to have healthy white teeth, while at the same time millions of people missed dental appointments due to the pandemic.

This has created a situation where people are turning to the internet for quick easy solutions, and attempt to treat their teeth at home. This results in dentistry that is ineffective at best, and can be highly dangerous and detrimental to health.

The OHF stresses the importance of always consulting a professional dentist, even for cosmetic work such as tooth whitening or realignment. Buying unregulated products on the internet, or following the advice of social media influencers, is a highly unsafe thing to do.

The Metro reports that a quarter of UK households resorted to treating their own teeth during lockdown, and an estimated 35 million dental appointments were missed. This has led to people to pulling out their own teeth, which in many cases caused the neighbouring teeth to become loose and fall out soon afterwards.

Karen from Suffolk said that her self-esteem has been affected by tooth loss: ‘I was on the dating scene but I’m too embarrassed now. They’re not going to want to introduce someone to their family who has got no teeth! I was a normal, happy woman. Now, I just feel like, what’s the point of going on? I’m ashamed of myself, but I know it’s not my fault.’

The OFH recommends that to ensure the best chance of healthy teeth, you should brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, always use a professional dental practice for treatment, and wear custom fit mouthguard sports to protect your teeth if you play sports.