Dental Health Risks: 5 Unhealthy, Extreme Dental Trends To Avoid

The basics of dental health aren't all that complicated: Brush and floss daily, limit cavity-causing sugary snacks, don't smoke and schedule regular visits to your dentist.

For some people, though, things get a little trickier. Maybe they opt to straighten "imperfect" smiles or whiten their less-than-sparkling pearly whites.

But others still take dentistry to the land of the extreme, unsafe and just plain weird. Read up on the health risks of these out-there dental procedures.

For more on dental health, click here.

Comments

[Ginger Sanders]

12:16 PM on 07/23/2012

I think that cosmetic dentistry is fine, as long as it isn't taken to the crazy proportions shown in this video. No one should ever consent to do something that will actually be harmful to their mouth or teeth.

[suzyframe]

01:39 PM on 06/29/2012

Wow, this is intense. I didn't know people were getting so into things. Cosmetic dentistry is really becoming a huge thing and some people are beginning to take it a little too far, as seen in this article. Thanks so much for filling in all the broken information about this. Thanks for posting this! Through the little research I have done on cosmetic dentistry I have found one website that has helped: www.utahvalleydentallab.com

[ldemp]

09:15 AM on 03/15/2012

Thanks for calling attention to these issues, but these are, as stated in the title, "extreme" and therefore don't appear to be dental problems/decisions for the majority of Americans. The larger (and more pressing) issue is the 50 million Americans that can't even get dental care. That's definitely an issue worth talking about.

[360Dunk]

09:19 PM on 03/14/2012

As an Appalachian-American, I have only eight or nine teeth left. I just plug the gaps with some chewin' tobacco and nobody knows the difference.

[Ami Munro]

11:12 AM on 03/15/2012

I had a friend once who lost a front tooth and gapped it with chewing gum colored in with White-Out.

[360Dunk]

11:27 AM on 03/15/2012

Very resourceful of him, although I might have used a brown Sharpie instead of White-Out to get a better color match.

[Dubagee]

08:03 PM on 03/14/2012

DAMMIT! Grills aren't GOOD for your teeth?!?! My life is OVER!

http://youtu.be/JHttdp6_JZM
http://youtu.be/_UHQQ2KX3Ys
http://gigieatscelebrities.com/2012/03/13/molehill-mayhem/

[esq1128]

07:35 PM on 03/14/2012

There is another thing that you shouldn't do with your teeth. YOU SHOULD NEVER LOAN THEM OUT! For You don't know where they have been.

[MCFeel]

07:24 PM on 03/14/2012

Got crown lengthening, healed well/had no side-effects, and I love my new smile. After years of hiding my joy, I now smile with abandon. Please, crown lengthening dangerous? Hardly. What about boob jobs, liposuction and rhinoplasty? Now THAT's surgery.

[kmsbears]

06:58 PM on 03/14/2012

As a periodontist with 25 years clinical experience, most crown lengtheing procedures on front teeth are very simple procedures, performed with local anesthetic, and minimal post-op discomfort. For many patients, it can make a major difference esthetically. Despite what most lay people think, the overwhelming amount of orthodontic treatment is performed strictly for cosmetic reasons and yet "braces" has become almost a rite of passage for adolescents. It is indeed "surgery", but very minor surgery and certainly nothing about which should cause patients concern.

[dixiebird333]

06:26 PM on 03/14/2012

Hes weird any way, that would be funny if someone robbed him and stole his diamonds out of his mouth lol !!

[maryweinstein]

06:53 PM on 03/14/2012

I guess that explains why he put the diamonds on the bottom rather than on the top. I'd have thought he'd replace his top teeth with diamonds so they could be seen better-

Kind of looks like he's chomping on a bracelet, or maybe a huge hoop earring with a diamond pave setting.....

[notalwaysfittoprint]

08:28 PM on 03/14/2012

@maryweinstein -- this is just too weird for me.

[amarah31]

05:58 PM on 03/14/2012

I've worked in dentistry almost 35 years, and work in a periodontal office. I've never seen a crown lengthening procedure cause any issues. Recheck your facts.

[belldn3]

05:51 PM on 03/14/2012

And for the South, don't stop brushing.

[laidbackdude679]

05:50 PM on 03/14/2012

never get braces if you're a prostitute

[jscwelch]

06:49 PM on 03/14/2012

that's funny, but true (and I'm a girl) lol

[Still kickin]

05:20 PM on 03/14/2012

I'll be happy just to keep my teeth until I'm 6 feet under. The rest is just, well....stupid....

[standuppeople]

05:16 PM on 03/14/2012

Never floss with a pubic hair!

[Lisa1129]

04:46 PM on 03/14/2012

The guy in picture #5 looks stupid, i didn`t know you can put a chrome bumper on your choppers.