JOPLIN, Mo. — These days, some parents don’t always know what their kids are consuming on social media. Sometimes, the content, if they follow it, can be harmful to their health.

Individuals on TikTok are performing at-home orthodontics and teeth straightening “hacks” on themselves, friends, and family members. This includes everything from applying their own braces that they purchased on the internet, to removing braces with nail clippers or pliers, and using rubber bands to try to close gaps in their teeth.

Dr. Sofyan Sayfo with Uncommon Orthodontics is here to explain why this is not a good idea.

“They might lose some teeth. You are going from a very very simple gap between your front teeth, to completely losing those teeth and now you have to go into um um building you bone again or even having implants, if not going back to comprehensive ortho treatment that’s going to cost you more because you made your case more complex,” said Dr. Sayfo, Certified Orthodontist at Uncommon Orthodontics,

Dr. Sayfo says not only are the teeth impacted but gums, joints, and bones can even suffer irreversible damage.