A TikTok trend has seen young Irish people filing down their own teeth with “very painful and damaging results,” according to Irish Dental Association.

Dentists are warning people not to fall for some of the cosmetic dental products being pushed by influencers on social media.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the Chair of the GP committee of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) Caroline Robbins said there have been a number of worrying trends recently.

“We are sort of seeing two things,” she said. “We are seeing the TikTok hackers and people coming in who have done silly things like filing their teeth and things they have seen on TikTok that have rather unfortunate consequences for them.

“Then we obviously have the others who are on Instagram and very much watching what influencers are saying and doing and promoting and thinking perhaps if they do the same, they will get the same results, but unfortunately we know that a lot of the time, they don’t.”

She said filing your teeth can cause permanent damage.

“They are filing their teeth with nail files, would you believe it,” she said. “It just makes my skin crawl thinking about it.

“They want them all flat. They want them all the one length and one shape – flat teeth.

“They don’t like their pointy canines so they are taking the files to them and that is damage that can never be repaired.

“Once tooth structure is gone, it is gone forever and it leaves a very sensitive tooth afterwards. It can be quite painful and it can be very damaging if it is done to the extreme.”

Teeth whitening at a dentist in Toronto. Image: Flickr

She said DIY teeth whiteners are also a concern.

“In Ireland now we are only allowed no to apply a certain level of bleach. It is 6% Hydrogen peroxide or up to 16% carbamide peroxide.

“Certainly, people can scour the internet and go overseas and get things in that are much stronger, but if they are applying those directly without them being properly put in with fitted trays and things like that … that is chemical.

“So, we are seeing people come in and they have got their gums burned off or the inside of their lips are burned; it is really dangerous.

“Then, if the tray is not well-fitting you can be swallowing this, so you have to be extremely careful.”

DIY dentistry

She said DIY kits sold online often have “very vague” ingredients lists and people often find themselves disappointed with the results.

Dr Robbins said she recently had a patient with “beautiful, gorgeous natural teeth” who wanted a big procedure to ensure her teeth were totally straight and white.

“She wanted this artificial Love Island smile and she just didn’t appreciate what it was going to involve to get that smile,” she said.

“I just wasn’t prepared to do it to her. She had beautiful teeth. I suggested perhaps she went and looked at maybe getting some braces and just shifting the position of some of her teeth and she would feel a lot better.

“She wasn’t interested in that - she just wanted the immediate, she wanted it now. I would rather get my teeth cut down to get this instant smile, which is frightening.

“They just don’t realise that it is an absolute lifetime of dentistry and work on their teeth they are committing to just for an immediate gratification.”

Influencers

She said influencers are creating an “unnatural perception and expectation” of what teeth should look like.

“I would say to the younger ones in Ireland that people under 26 who are working even part-time will find they are actually probably eligible for a free PRSI check-up,” she said.

“I would just say to anyone listening, see if you have got your PRSI, come in and get your teeth looked at, work out what is right and get them cleaned.

“Then, if you want to invest in these products - the toothbrushes, the toothpastes - then do. It is like buying a nice shiny car – if you don’t lift the bonnet, you don’t know if you are buying a dud or not.”

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