The Latest TikTok Challenge To Ruin Your Smile

Social media users are back at it again promoting unsafe do-it-yourself dental procedures. Following several viral teeth whitening hacks (including dangerously abrading layers of enamel with charcoal powder, and mixing baking soda and liquid hydrogen, both of which I am warning you are dangerous), there is a new trend going around the TikTok social platform—using a nail file on your teeth. 

Sadly, many people on TikTok have been filing down their uneven teeth with nail files. “I’m going to file my teeth down with a nail file because they are not perfect, I have some ridges, and we’re balling on a budget,” explains one user before filing her teeth down. 

The trend has me (and other dentists) extremely concerned.  The process is unsafe.  Please be warned that it could cause extreme damage to your teeth.  Filing down your teeth will remove the tooth enamel. Enamel is the outer hard layer of the tooth structure, which protects the dentine and nerve of the tooth, and protects against decay.  If you file too much enamel away, you risk tooth sensitivity and even worse, nerve inflammation and irritation, and pain. This can then lead to further complications and need for dental intervention.

This damage will be permanent because unlike your nails which will grow back tomorrow, tooth structure does not regenerate.  This is precisely why we instruct patients on how to avoid unintentional tooth structure erosion.  Filing the teeth is nothing but intentional tooth structure erosion!

To anyone who is considering filing down their own teeth, I urge you to question why your teeth are uneven in the first place—a problem which won’t be solved through filing.  If you file them and you think they look pretty good, but you didn't solve the original problem, what are you going to do in a few years when they're uneven again and your teeth have even less (or no) enamel?  You will have already destroyed your enamel you can never get it back and it may even destroy the tooth.  A dead tooth means extensive and expensive treatment if you want to keep it.  Or, you could just have a gaping hole in your smile where your incisors should be.

If you are unhappy with the appearance or health of your teeth, the best thing you can do is see a professional.  A dentist will conservatively contour and define the edges of your teeth using high end dental tools, and also can protect the edges with a layer of bonding. 

No one should do any at home dental treatment themselves. Always seek professional advice, even for something like tooth polishing. We are equipped with the tools and the knowledge of tooth anatomy and biology to know exactly what to do safely. 

If you feel like you might have an issue with the look of your smile, don't try to do it yourself; you'll just make things worse.  Give my office a call at 860-561-2121, or contact us online.

Keep smiling,

Dr.Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and  New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121

Studies: The Link Between Oral Hygiene and Severe COVID-19

I am writing this article today to let you know some important information about the connection between Periodontal Disease (“PD”), and the risk of severe COVID-19 complications.   Knowing PD is associated with severe COVID-19 could help identify risk groups and establish pertinent recommendations.  It can also help you take proactive steps in an effort to reduce the risk to you in case you become infected with COVID-19.

A recent study reported by the National Institutes for Health (NIH), indicates that there is a connection between PD and severe COVID-19.  Another study published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ), concludes the same.

Periodontal disease (PD), or commonly called “gum disease” is characterized by red, sensitive, receding and/or bleeding gums.  PD is actually a group of diseases involving an inflammatory response in your body, and a microbial imbalance starting in your gums, which could lead to diseases throughout your body.  Many studies have shown that a number of diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease, are associated with PD.  These studies demonstrate that the underlying cause of all these diseases is sustained systemic inflammation, which is really your body’s immune response to these bacterial insults that have invaded your bloodstream, however the exact mechanisms have not been established completely.

Interestingly, these same factors have been widely associated with progression or severe COVID-19. Inflammatory factors and imbalances in your bacteria levels affect your overall health, according to these studies.  Sadly, however, assessment of oral health history including periodontal status in COVID-19 patients has not been reported.  

This makes complete sense, as disease severity has been attributed to many patient-related medical risk factors. In one of the largest cohort studies to date on 5,700 patients who entered the New York hospital system, Richardson et al. (2020) found that the top risk factors of people with severe COVID-19 symptoms included diseases associated with inflammation, such as hypertension (56.6%), obesity (41.7%), and diabetes (33.8%).   Because of the increase in the severity of COVID-19 symptoms associated with patients who have preexisting inflammatory conditions, anti-inflammatory medications used to treat chronic/autoimmune inflammatory diseases have also been used to treat those with COVID-19.

Other studies have shown that periodontal treatment can lower overall systemic inflammatory markers. If inflammation can be lowered with periodontal treatment, can this type of oral care play a role in decreasing host susceptibility to COVID-19?   In addition to common inflammatory pathways, the British study has suggested that oral disease may exacerbate COVID-19 severity via two additional mechanisms.  Oral bacteria have been implicated in aspirational pneumonia and an increase in viral respiratory infection. Furthermore, respiratory diseases, such as those caused by COVID-19, predispose patients to bacterial superinfections that complicate disease treatment. Oral bacteria have been implicated in those bacterial superinfections.

Can dental treatment decrease the likelihood of developing these superinfections?  Because it is so new, controlled studies examining common inflammatory and pathogenic pathways between periodontal disease and COVID-19 need to be performed to determine the final answers—but if you are concerned that you may have gum disease, a dental professional can help.  But I definitely think so.

Important Tip: Daily tooth brushing and flossing can prevent and even reverse the earliest form of gum disease, called gingivitis.

Left untreated, gingivitis can turn into periodontal disease. The gums pull back from the root of the tooth, creating a tiny pocket that gradually widens. Eventually, the infection and inflammation attack the tissue that holds the tooth to the jawbone, which can cause the tooth to loosen and possibly fall out.

A dentist or hygienist can treat periodontal disease by cleaning the teeth above and below the gum line, a procedure known as scaling and root planning (SRP). They use manual scalers or ultrasound devices to scrape away hardened plaque (tartar). 

Neither procedure requires sedation, and can be performed in both my West Hartford Center dental office and New Britain dental office.

Signs of gum disease

Any of these signs can be a clue that you have periodontal disease:

• swollen, red, or tender gums
• gums that bleed easily
• pus between the teeth and gums
• bad breath
• buildup of hard brown deposits along the gum line
• loose teeth or teeth that are moving apart
• changes in the way dental appliances fit.

If you have any of these issues, contact my office for a checkup. Your loved ones will be glad you did.

Keep smiling,


Dr.Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and  New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121