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Online beauty influencers have proven too successful at persuading young fans that they can have blindingly white, perfectly aligned teeth with very little money, time, or effort.

Health and beauty feeds on TikTok and Instagram are littered with videos of perfect-looking people promoting — often sponsored – products that would make most medical professionals frown.

Dentists are now warning people to be careful when trying these quick fixes as some of them could be dangerous if used incorrectly. Some of these companies have also fallen far short of their ‘guarantees’, and in some cases, people have lost a fair amount of money. In some cases, the companies selling these products don’t even include dentists in the development.

David Couchat of the French Federation of Orthodontics says, “Aligning a few incisors can happen quickly but there is a lot of work to be done afterwards about how someone will use their jaws to chew.”

The simple online tests offered by these products cannot detect bone loss, tooth loosening or gum disease. If customers with any of these ailments use these products, it could lead to serious and long-lasting effects.

Other goods advocated by enthusiastic beauty and wellness influencers include teeth whitening strips, pens, gels, lamps, and toothpaste. Some of these solutions are available for as little as R350 online, as opposed to possibly thousands of rands for a dentist-performed whitening treatment.

The whitening ingredient in many of these products is hydrogen peroxide, which is heavily controlled by most countries. In the UK and the European Union, over-the-counter products are not allowed to contain more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. Dentists can, however, use or prescribe medications containing up to 6%.

Influencers like Poupette Kenza and her amazing Crest 3D Whitestrips smile, however, have pushed products that have been found to contain up to 10% hydrogen peroxide. Her TikTok regularly gets millions of views through the #crest3dwhite, until French authorities eventually fined her 50,000 euros.

@dixiedamelio hair was dark, but teeth are still white (+ getting whiter) @crest #whiteningemulsions #crestpartner #teethwhitening ♬ howya like me now – dixie

Needless to say, large quantities of hydrogen peroxide can be dangerous if your stained teeth are the result of gum disease or cavities.

Dental surgeon Lequart says “Using too much of these products can cause irritation or even lead gums to recede — an early warning sign of future tooth loss”.

Online customers have said the Crest strips “lighten teeth several shades, of course, but give a horrible sensation during hot or cold meals”.

On social networks, the target audience is relatively young and concerned about savings. This could lead to a potential disaster in terms of oral health.

Dentists emphasise that most young people have perfectly healthy teeth and should not use whitening products, which damage their teeth prematurely. They also pointed out that the influencers promoting these products often have expensive porcelain veneers covering their original teeth.

“They are taking advantage of people’s credulity. It’s a big scam.”

@thebentist GUYS SERIOUSLY?! These lights DO NOT work so don’t waste your money on them! 😡 no worries I got you 🤣✌🏻 #teethwhitening #whitening #health ♬ original sound – The Bentist / Orthodontist 🦷

We do love our quick fixes.

[source:mail&guardian]