Videos showing people taping their mouths shut to sleep are going viral on TikTok, Allure reported Feb. 10.
Users claim doing this can improve sleep, reduce bad breath, prevent cavities and strengthen the immune system, among other benefits.
Two dentists were among a group of medical professionals who spoke with the magazine about the risks of this trend.
Richard Lipari, DDS, practices at Lipari & Mangiameli Dentistry in Chappaqua, N.Y. Jeffrey Sulitzer, DMD, is chief clinical officer at teledentistry company SmileDirectClub.
Dr. Lipari told Allure there isn’t enough scientific evidence to prove mouth taping improves oral hygiene. Dr. Sulitzer said people should instead cut back on food and beverages that trigger dry mouth and adopt an oral care routine to reduce bad breath.
Several oral health-related TikTok trends have come about in the last couple years, including closing tooth gaps with rubber bands, whitening teeth with abrasive sponges, using InstaMorph beads to create prosthetic teeth and using do-it-yourself methods to solve dental issues.