Patients Taking Treatment Into Their Own Hands
Many dental practitioners will be familiar with the knowledgeable patient who knows so much, courtesy of ‘Doctor Google!’ but sadly some patients really do try and take their treatment into their own hands.
We recently experienced a member of the public calling up to order some impression material.
When asked why they wanted to purchase it, they said they’d chipped a tooth and wanted to also buy something that they “could use to stick onto the missing bit”!
British Dentists Seeing Cases of DIY Dentistry
According to the British Dental Association 82% of dentists surveyed indicated they had seen cases of DIY dentistry.
These reports include patients using pliers to extract teeth, using superglue on broken crowns, using chewing gum as temporary fillings and even attempting to construct homemade dentures.
Chocolate Battleships
We might very occasionally sell a dental product to a non-dentist, but would never sell any dental materials or instruments to the public for DIY dentistry.
For example we have had in the past a chef who worked for the Royal Navy who asked to purchase some impression material, as he wanted to make a battleship-shaped mould to produce specialty cakes for the crew.
We loved his endeavor and commitment so, after checking with the manufacturer, we did indeed send him what he needed.
Prospective ‘DIY dentists’ however, are always advised to visit a dental care professional.
Dental Emergency Repair Kits
Over the past few years there has been an increasing rise in 'DIY dentistry' due to people trying to avoid what they may perceive as costly surgery trips or due to difficulty in accessing dental services.
Over-the-counter emergency dentistry DIY kits are widely available, intended as temporary remedies for lost fillings, caps and crowns.
These kits can be bought in high street pharmacies, supermarkets and there have even been reports of the kits being available in pound stores.
DenTek, one of the largest suppliers of the dentistry kits for home use reports annual sales of over 250,000 kits.
Although these kits could seem rather extreme the main purpose is to act as a temporary first aid solution in emergency scenarios when professional dental care is not available.
These kits should not be seen as a replacement for seeing a dentist.
Tony Lees, a dentist from Hertfordshire, created his own DIY Dentistry kit after an agonising experience whilst attending a ski trip.
The dentist had lost a filling whilst on holiday and was unable to find dental treatment.
Mr Lees created his Dentanurse dental first aid kit after this incident with the purpose of being used when a dental practice cannot be found.
Many travel insurers will not cover major dental work abroad making this the perfect solution.
DIY Braces
An extreme craze of DIY braces has been taking Asia by storm in recent years and is now spreading further afield; as you might imagine, there have been drastic consequences in relation to this.
In some areas of the Philippines it can be considered a symbol of wealth to have braces, as the dental procedure is expensive.
These DIY braces products pose a number of health risks including tooth decay and root damage.
Elastic bands are used to try and pull teeth together and reduce gaps.
This method is known to put pressure on the gums, cutting off blood supply, which can change the shape of the gums and cause inflammation and infection.
Several tutorial videos have been found on YouTube and TikTok.
These DIY kits are considered a fashion item across several regions of Asia.
