{"id":198,"date":"2019-02-15T20:25:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T20:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/?p=198"},"modified":"2022-03-23T13:09:49","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T13:09:49","slug":"reasons-why-you-should-leave-braces-to-a-professional-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/15\/reasons-why-you-should-leave-braces-to-a-professional-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"Reasons Why You Should Leave Braces to a Professional Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_118632113__1539809366_81159-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Woman holding Invisalign\" class=\"wp-image-199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_118632113__1539809366_81159-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_118632113__1539809366_81159-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AdobeStock_118632113__1539809366_81159.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At-home teeth straightening and DIY braces have become a\npopular, somewhat viral internet trend. Promoters of this trend promise a\nbeautifully straight smile for a fraction of the time and cost of traditional\northodontics, but DIY braces can actually cause serious damage to your smile\nand even your overall health. Keep reading to learn why you should always see a\nprofessional dentist when it comes to straightening your teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are DIY Braces?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>DIY, or do-it-yourself, is a trend that has become popular\nwith the rise of the internet. While do-it-yourself projects like building a\ndeck are fun challenges to tackle, DIY braces can cause severe oral health\nissues. People have tried to make braces from materials like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Superglue<\/li><li>Rubber bands<\/li><li>Dental floss<\/li><li>Hair elastics<\/li><li>Paper clips<\/li><li>Bracelet beads<\/li><li>Orthodontic wax<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, these materials are not sterile or\nmedical-grade, which can cause infection and even loss of teeth. Social media\ninfluencers have convinced people to try these methods to achieve a straight\nsmile without the time and cost of traditional braces. While a straight smile\nmay seem enticing, you should always see a dental professional for orthodontics\nbecause of the many risks of DIY braces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can They Affect My Smile?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the ways DIY braces put you at risk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shifting of Your Teeth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Professional orthodontics gradually shift your teeth over\ntime because it creates lasting results. When you straighten your teeth rapidly\nwith DIY braces, the chances of them shifting back into misalignment are high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possibility of Losing Your Teeth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubber bands and other makeshift materials for braces can\ndestroy your teeth and their roots. DIY braces cut off the circulation your\nteeth need to stay healthy. This can result in having to see your dentist to\nget teeth pulled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gum Infection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubber bands, paper clips, and other popular DIY braces\nitems can cut into your gums, causing pain and infection. Because DIY braces\ninvolve the use of nonsterile items, infection can easily occur. Although it\nstarts with your gums, the infection can get in your bloodstream and affect the\nrest of your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Paying More than You Saved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people decide to give DIY braces a try because they\nwant to avoid spending the money on professional care. However, you could end\nup paying much more in the long run after using DIY braces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Replacing teeth is not only time consuming, but it\u2019s\nexpensive as well. And, the possible damage and infection that can occur during\nyour DIY treatment will require more time and money spent at your dentist\u2019s\noffice. That\u2019s why you\u2019re much better off saving your money to make a smart\ninvestment in the beauty and health of your smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Popular Alternatives with Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are now a variety of companies like SmileDirectClub,\nCandid, and Clear Smiles, that offer mail-order clear aligners. These companies\npromise the same results as professional treatment, but with much less time and\ncost. However, these mail-order aligning trays come with risks of their own.\nWithout a dentist evaluating your smile before, during, and after treatment, you\u2019re\nputting your smile at risk for a lot of the same problems that DIY braces can\ncause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know some of the perils of DIY braces and\nmail-order aligners, you should avoid straightening your teeth at home to keep\nyour smile safe. If you\u2019re considering a straighter smile, contact your dentist\nto get started on a safe and effective treatment plan with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/orthodontics.html\">Invisalign\nclear braces<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Dentist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Bradley Mitchell takes pride in providing quality care\nto his Oklahoma City community. He offers Invisalign at his practice to give\nhis patients straight teeth in a safe, discreet, and comfortable way. He\ncurrently runs his own practice, and he can be reached through his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a>\nor by phone at (405) 755-2670 for any questions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At-home teeth straightening and DIY braces have become a popular, somewhat viral internet trend. Promoters of this trend promise a beautifully straight smile for a fraction of the time and cost of traditional orthodontics, but DIY braces can actually cause serious damage to your smile and even your overall health. Keep reading to learn why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mitchellsmiledesign.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}