I can’t believe people are doing THIS to their teeth

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]I've seen a lot throughout my years as a dental hygienist, but I have to say these three things are things that I just can't get over people are still doing. Let's talk.

[00:00:12]Number one, I can't believe people are still filing their teeth with nail files. So, the nail file trend was a thing a few years back on TikTok.

[00:00:21]Everyone was using nail files on their teeth. Some people were posting videos showing themselves filing their teeth to make them all even looking, whereas others were showing themselves making their canines extra pointy so they could have sharper looking vampire fangs. And lately, recently, now I'm also seeing people do this with actual nail clippers. Why am I seeing people putting toenail clippers on their teeth? I really have a hard time with this one because of course here's the problem.

[00:00:49]Tooth enamel does not grow back. Once you file it away or clip it away, it's gone forever. That outer layer of your tooth enamel protects the sensitive dentin layer underneath. If you remove too much, now you've created sensitivity, higher cavity risk, and potential nerve damage. Teeth are not fingernails. They have thickness variations, bite relationships, and structural load forces. Filing just one small edge of a tooth can completely change how your teeth hit together. It can completely change your bite leading to chipping, wear, and jaw pain. So, if something looks uneven, please talk with your dentist. There are safe, controlled ways your dentist can adjust it. And if you're struggling with finances, trying to avoid the dentist due to money, I completely understand so I will link my affordable dental care video below which goes over ways to see dentists without insurance. And I also give tips on how to visit dental schools and dental hygiene schools at reduced rates as well as other free clinic options for those who qualify. Because free handling your teeth in your bathroom mirror with a nail file, that's permanent damage for a temporary aesthetic trend. Social media makes everything look easy, but your enamel is not replaceable. Trends fade, damage doesn't. So, please stop experimenting on your teeth. Okay, number two. I can't believe people are still flying across the world to shave down perfectly healthy teeth. Let's talk about Turkey teeth really quick. And first, it's not about Turkey. Dental tourism happens everywhere, many different countries. But the reason Turkey specifically blew up recently is due to heavy social media marketing, influencer deals, reality show stars promoting these vacation packages with fast cosmetic makeovers. And here's the part most people don't realize. Most of these are not veneers as advertised.

[00:02:34]Everyone's like, "I got my veneers from Turkey." No, they are crowns. And crowns require aggressively shaving the entire tooth down, sometimes into little pegs.

[00:02:43]Once that enamel is gone, it's gone forever. That tooth will now need a crown for life. Higher risk of sensitivity, nerve damage, root canals, bite problems, TMJ pain, gum recession, crowns popping off. Again, cosmetic dentistry isn't the enemy. I love cosmetic dentistry when it preserves your natural tooth structure and respects biology. The problem is shaving down healthy teeth when other options exist. There's whitening, professional whitening, there's bonding, orthodontics like Invisalign, and conservative veneers, real veneers. Don't forget your teeth are living structures. Cheap and fast now can become very expensive later. So, if someone suggests to you that shaving down a bunch of healthy teeth in your mouth is a good idea without explaining alternatives, that's a red flag. You only get one set of adult teeth. Don't let a vacation package decide their future. And lastly, number three. It's hard to believe that people are still buying dental scalers online and scraping their own teeth at home. Now, I get it. You see build-up on your teeth, you want it gone. But here's the problem. You don't know what you're scraping. And I know, I've made videos about this before and I've read the comments, people saying not to listen to me because they've done it themselves at home and they are fine. But are they fine? Or did they push the bacteria farther down into the gingival sulcus and will be very unhappy to find out later that they did that. I hope that's not the case. But please know, it's so possible. I've seen it. I've seen tartar burnished deeper under the gums because someone burnished it instead of removing it. They saw the tartar chip off so they thought the tooth was clean, but that tartar wasn't fully removed. And if you have gum recession, you can gouge away exposed cementum when you don't know the difference between enamel and cementum.

[00:04:22]Cementum is much softer than enamel and you could create little wine glass stems, that's what it kind of looks like at the base of your tooth, which can lead to sensitivity, decay, and permanent damage. And lastly, if you have tooth decay, you could literally puncture into the tooth. I've seen patients scale straight through softened enamel and end up needing root canals.

[00:04:41]And it's not just your teeth. You can slice off your interdental papilla, which is the little triangular area of gum tissue between your teeth. And that gum tissue does not always grow back. It takes years of education to learn head and neck anatomy, tooth morphology, decay detection, and safe instrumentation. I can go on and on explaining how the tools you buy online, the scalers, the cavitrons on TikTok shop, how they are not medical grade, and how you cannot learn proper scaling technique from one video online. And even if you could, you can't see inside your own mouth properly. Angles matter, visibility matters. There's a reason you're upside down in our chair. But instead of going on and on, just know that if plaque build-up is your concern, brushing and flossing does properly remove it before it hardens into tartar.

[00:05:24]And yes, once it hardens into tartar from either skipping nights of flossing or maybe you're just prone to heavier build-up, that's what professional cleanings are for. This isn't gatekeeping, it's protection. Put the scaler down. You only get one set of adult teeth. All right, that's it.

[00:05:37]Making these types of videos always seems like a fun idea. I'm going to go over all the things, but then at the end I get sad right now because I'm like, I know the reason lots of people do this stuff at home is because they are trying to save money. I get it. But please, if you are low on cash or struggling financially, DIY dental care at home is not the answer. You can make your dental problems worse at home, which will actually make it more expensive to fix your teeth in the long run. So, like I mentioned earlier, I will link my affordable dental care video which goes over ways to see a dentist without insurance. And I hope this video helped you. Please like, subscribe, and turn on your notifications if it did. And until next time, I'll see you on Instagram @teethtalkgirl. Peace, love, and teeth.

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