AFP – With their flawless smiles, online beauty influencers have skillfully convinced young followers that achieving bright, perfectly aligned teeth is quick, easy, and affordable.
However, dentists have cautioned that the teeth whitening and straightening products promoted through sponsored ads on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can pose serious risks if not used correctly.
Additionally, many companies selling these low-cost, at-home solutions often fail to deliver on their bold promises.
The United States (US)-based firm Smile-DirectClub aggressively advertised online for its “clear aligners”, which are plastic braces worn daily to straighten teeth.
However, the firm filed for bankruptcy last year, leaving many customers in the lurch.
Chantelle Jones, a 32-year-old Briton who paid the firm GBP1,800, only had her top teeth straightened and never received the bottom moulds.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to get any money back,” she told the BBC. The company has announced its ‘Lifetime Smile Guarantee’ simply “no longer exists”, advising customers to seek professional help.
But because a dentist did not initiate the process, they would “have to start everything from scratch”, French dental surgeon Dr Genevieve Wagner said.
These types of products are not used solely for aesthetic purposes, said orthodontist Dr David Couchat of the French Federation of Orthodontics.
“Aligning a few incisors can happen quickly, but there is a lot of work to be done afterwards about how someone will use their jaws to chew,” he said.
The simple online tests offered by these products cannot detect bone loss, tooth loosening or gum disease, said dental surgeon and French Union for Oral Health spokesman Dr Christophe Lequart.
But if the products are used by customers with such problems, it could lead to serious long-term damage, he warned.
Other products promoted by enthusiastic beauty and wellness influencers include teeth whitening strips, pens, gels, lamps and toothpaste.
Some of these products are sold online for as little as USD20, compared to potentially thousands for a whitening procedure carried out by a dentist.
The active whitening ingredient in many of these products – the chemical compound hydrogen peroxide – is strictly regulated in Britain and the European Union (EU). The concentration of hydrogen peroxide cannot exceed 0.1 per cent in over-the-counter products in Britain and the EU.
Dentists can use or prescribe products that have up to six per cent.
That did not stop the French influencer Poupette Kenza from pushing Crest 3D Whitestrips, which tests have shown contain up to 10 per cent hydrogen peroxide.
The French authorities fined Kenza EUR50,000 for promoting the banned product, which regularly gets millions of views on TikTok under hashtags such as #crest3dwhite.
When used in large quantities, hydrogen peroxide can be harmful, particularly if applied to cavities or diseased gums. Before whitening, dentists clean teeth to remove any surface discolouration, a process that does not happen for at-home products bought online.
Dr Lequart said that using too much of these products can cause irritation or even lead gums to recede – an early warning sign of future tooth loss.
One online customer said the Crest strips “lighten teeth several shades, of course, but give a horrible sensation during hot or cold meals”. Dr Lequart said that “on social networks, the target audience is relatively young and concerned about savings”.
This could lead to a potential “disaster in terms of oral health”, he added.
Dr Wagner emphasised that most young people have healthy teeth and should not use “whitening products, which damage their teeth prematurely via acids”.
Dr Lequart cautioned that before-and-after whitening images on social media are often touched up using Photoshop. And Dr Couchat pointed out that influencers promoting these products often have expensive porcelain veneers covering their original teeth. “They are taking advantage of people’s credulity. It’s a big scam,” he added.
