In Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

Dentist warns against new TikTok trend of flossing with hair

The latest dental TikTok trend to emerge is flossing your teeth with hair, according to Mirror.

In recent weeks, TikTok users have been uploading videos of themselves using hair to clean in between their teeth as an alternative to traditional dental floss, an activity London-based dentist Dr. Reena Wadia told Mirror could be dangerous to their oral health.

"It's so important to use the correct tools to clean between the teeth," she said. "Not using the right tools may cause trauma and lead to irreversible damage; things like hair, string, a fork, paper."

Dr. Wadia told Mirror the best tool patients can use to clean between their teeth is an interdental brush.

The hair flossing trend succeeds other potentially dangerous TikTok dental fads dentists have recently warned against. In September, dentists criticized users who whiten their teeth by applying undiluted hydrogen peroxide to them with a cotton swab and argued users who shave down their uneven teeth with nail files could be doing irreparable damage.

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