It seems there is a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution to nearly every problem. Leaking pipe? DIY. Need to replace your front door? DIY. Need a greener lawn? DIY. Looking to straighten your teeth or close a gap between your front teeth? DON’T DIY!
There is a disturbing trend that has been gaining popularity – DIY yourself braces and Gap Band kits. Both promise to straighten your teeth without the expense of seeing an orthodontist.
The DIY braces come in a kit, in which the patient takes their own impressions and provides their own assessment of what they feel their problem is and what they would like the outcome to be. They are then mailed a kit that either contains plastic aligners or worse, actual wires and brackets that they apply themselves. The potential complications of this method are numerous – resulting in long-term, potentially irreversible damage.
The other method involves gap bands – small thin bands that go around teeth to close gaps – mainly on front teeth. Since the bands close the gaps very quickly, as the teeth close together, the roots tilt toward each other, causing the bands to slide up toward the gums. Many patients who have tried using these bands have ended up with them sliding up and under the gums, resulting in surgery to remove the bands. The inflammation from the lodged bands, combined with the damage from teeth moving too fast, often results in the loss of those teeth and much of the bone that supported them.
Proper treatment planning involves X-rays, accurate impressions, 3D and/or panoramic imaging, at the very least.
Want straighter teeth? Don’t DIY!