Why have patients turned to DIY dentistry?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 6th August 2021
Now more than ever, people are taking dental treatments into their own hands. Indeed, you only need to have a quick online search to unearth countless tales of people extracting their own teeth or attempting tooth whitening at home. In some cases, people have even started making their own dental products such as toothpaste – but why is this the case?
Is the pandemic the primary suspect?
Harrowing reports surfaced during lockdown, with some suggesting that as many as 25% of people in the UK attempted a form of DIY dentistry during the pandemic.[i]
Whether this is accurate I cannot say, but even if this is an exaggeration, thousands, if not millions of people in the UK will have still performed treatments on themselves without the help of a professional. With lockdown restricting access to dental appointments for a few months, this spike in DIY dentistry certainly makes sense. However, I believe there’s something deeper at play which, though exacerbated by the pandemic, means that we can’t hold Covid-19 solely responsible.
The realities of the access crisis
One aspect of this is undoubtedly the access crisis. Even before the pandemic, people in a number of areas of the country were experiencing difficulties in finding a dental practice that had the time or capacity to see them. Now, this problem seems to have come to a head – and with professionals leaving the NHS in droves, it’s little surprise that we see accounts of people facing 3 year waiting lists to see the dentist in their local area.[ii]
Anyone who has experienced dental pain before will know, that when pain strikes, waiting simply isn’t an option. And, if there are no funds available (arguably another problem exacerbated by the pandemic) it makes sense that more and more people would consider reaching for the pliers themselves, rather than waiting until they can get a professional to sort out their problem.
This is a concern we’ve all had – but it’s surprising how much the media is trying to claim that the pandemic is solely to blame for access inequalities, especially when there’s no pretending these weren’t in place far before Covid-19 became a concern.
Influencers and misinformation
On the other end of the spectrum, we have people attempting procedures such as tooth whitening at home. As these are largely cosmetic issues, I think we can safely say that although money and access will likely play a part in why people are doing these at home, the main driving force behind them is far more likely going to be outside influences.
One thing that I routinely see pop up in the news is the dangerous nature of trends on social media apps such as TikTok, especially in regards to the misinformation they supply people. For example, there have been reports of viral videos featuring people filing their own teeth down or using homemade whitening solutions to achieve a brighter smile.[iii] From a professional perspective, this is a travesty, and something that we desperately need to nip in the bud as these individuals are definitely going to cause themselves more harm than good.
I think it’s a good idea to talk to patients who use a lot of social media, especially those who are likely to be young enough to be influenced by the videos they see, and warn them against the dangers. This can become a useful conversation in terms of promoting our services too, as if we let them know about how to whiten their teeth properly and offer them a suitable treatment solution, they’re likely to respond positively once they understand why it’s something that professionals need to oversee.
Homemade products suggest another issue
When we think about phenomenon such as the rise in use of homemade toothpastes, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what may be causing this approach to DIY dentistry. Toothpaste is relatively affordable, plus it doesn’t instantly afford any cosmetic benefits like tooth whitening treatments – so why would someone make their own?
In this case, I think mistrust and misinformation, with a little sprinkling of social media influencers is to blame. The problem with the internet is that it has given misinformation the chance to flourish, and where people would trust the advice of experts in the past, today there is a definite shift in public opinion, leading to many people rejecting proven science. After googling a number of homemade toothpaste recommendations (mainly from blogs spouting messages of wellness) one thing I came across multiple times is that the person writing the recipe for toothpaste had a mistrust of fluoride. In several examples, they even suggested that they had medical conditions that meant fluoride in toothpaste wasn’t a viable option for them.
As we’re all well aware, fluoride has been proven time and time again to be beneficial at preventing decay, but to an average person, this misinformation on beautifully presented blogs is an easy trap to fall into.
What can we do?
Unfortunately, much like many other multi-faceted problems, there is no cure all approach we can take to prevent patients from performing DIY dentistry. What we can do is keep patients informed when we see them and warn them against social media trends and misinformation. Aside from that, we’re looking at a much bigger problem, and one that only significant change can solve.
For further information please call EndoCare on 020 7224 0999 or visit www.endocare.co.uk
EndoCare, led by Dr Michael Sultan, is one of the UK’s most trusted Specialist Endodontist practices. Through the use of the latest technologies and techniques, the highly-trained team can offer exceptional standards of care – always putting the patient first. What’s more, EndoCare is a dependable referral centre, to which dentists from across the country send their patients for the best in specialist endodontic treatment.
[i] Dentistry Today. 25% of UK Households Have performed DIY Dentistry During the Lockdown. Link: https://www.dentistrytoday.com/news/industrynews/item/6963-25-of-uk-households-have-performed-diy-dentistry-during-the-lockdown [Last accessed May 21].
[ii] The Guardian. People In England Face Three Year Waits For Dental Appointments. Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/24/people-in-england-face-three-year-waits-for-dentist-appointments [Last accessed May 21].
[iii] Dazed Digital. TikTok Users Are Shaving Down Their Teeth With Nail Files And It’s Very Bad. Link: https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/head/article/50489/1/tiktok-users-are-shaving-down-their-teeth-with-nail-files-and-its-very-bad [Last accessed May 21].
