DIY Braces: Orthodontists Warn Parents That Teens May Lose Teeth With Latest Trend

There's an emerging crazy and dangerous trend among teenagers on social media, and parents are advised by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) to brace themselves for its possible damaging results.

Teenagers are risking their perfectly healthy teeth with do-it-yourself braces, according to News Channel 10. They are posting a series of video tutorials on Youtube to show how the "procedure" can be done without getting any professional help. Parents and their kids must be made aware of the risks.

One common element of the videos shows the kids using rubber bands to band the gaps of their teeth. This has prompted orthodontists to issue a consumer alert via the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics.

"Because of the risks involved, it would beneficial for consumers to be properly informed about the benefits and risks of any self-treatment situation such as this. Or consumers could seek the information they need from a practitioner who has the knowledge, skill, and experience to know what is safe and what is not," the statement said.

The AAO was also prompted to issue public service advertisements to emphasize the dangers of DIY braces. "Trying to close a gap or straighten your teeth yourself can increase the risk of infection and serious damage to your teeth and gums, including tooth loss. Replacing lost teeth is expensive and a person may require multiple replacements over the course of a lifetime," one of the ads stated, according to Today.

In the U.S., about four million people wear braces, according to Humana. The procedure is expected to cost a lot of money with families spending $5,000 for it without dental insurance. The treatment is not instant as, more often than not, it takes over three years for the patient to see the results.

However, there is a reason why it's supposed to be done by trained professionals. "When you have braces on it controls the movement of the teeth in all dimensions - rotational, forward, backwards, up and down - they're all connected together and they're stabilized," said Dr. Karen Cottingham, an orthodontist in Indianapolis, via WJHL.

"When you're moving teeth it's in a very controlled way at a certain rate that's healthy for the roots," she added. "If you're just connecting a rubber band to a few teeth to try to move them, you have no control over the rate if they move too fast it could damage the root. Not only are they going to move together, but they may also move up and down."

Cottingham said that orthodontists take years to learn braces procedure properly. "You definitely shouldn't play around with that yourself."