DIY (or “do it yourself”) videos, tutorials, and advertisements on social media sites are quite the rage these days. Simple tips, tricks, and products are all over the place and claim to help you with a litany of things, such as dying your hair without seeing a stylist, fun and easy recipes you can make quickly, and even at-home orthodontia. Marketing campaigns for at-home orthodontics without having to see a professional are being splashed across various media outlets, including billboards, television and online ads. While you can fairly easily fix most mistakes you might make with your hair or a new cooking recipe, DIY orthodontia is much trickier and can be exceptionally dangerous. That’s why it’s incredibly important to see one of the many orthodontic specialists at Bedford Dental Group.
Steps Taken to Prevent Risky At-Home Treatments
A new policy passed by the 2017 ADA House of Delegates highly discourages the practice of DIY Orthodontia, as trying such a dangerous trend outside of a trained professional’s office can cause irreparable damage to your teeth and overall health. According to Dr. Craig Ratner, chair of the ADA Council on Dental Practice, “Patients are being inundated with direct marketing campaigns encouraging them to initiate and manage their own orthodontic treatment.”
While these marketing campaigns can make fixing your smile at home seem easy and worry-free, Dr. Ratner feels professionals must help patients see through the splashy, too-good-to-be-true marketing campaigns: “This year’s ADA House of Delegates recognized the need for the ADA… to take steps to educate patients about the potential pitfalls of self-managed orthodontic treatment. This new policy supports the importance of dentists being in charge of diagnosing and treating patients to ensure the safe delivery of appropriate care.”
How You Can Appropriately Take Charge of Your Orthodontic Needs
Instead of trying to fix your smile at home and potentially cause more harm than good, it is of the utmost importance that you see a trained professional. They say a great smile is worth a million dollars, and Bedford Dental Group can help give you that look. We offer a wide array of dental services that can give you a straighter, better-looking smile, including Invisalign, dental bonding, implants, and even full-mouth reconstruction. There is almost no danger in seeing a trained professional for your cosmetic dentistry needs, but there is an awful lot of risk in trying a fad at home that could potentially make your smile worse. Don’t make a mistake that could cost you your dental health and get a consultation with Bedford Dental Group today.
