Dental team members reveal the top 9 worst at-home dentistry mistakes

May 14, 2015

While we always recommend seeing a professional for any dental ailments, some people take matters into their own hands.

While we always recommend seeing a professional for any dental ailments, some people take matters into their own hands.

Whether it's to supposedly save time or money, at-home dentistry can be dangerous and cause more problems than improvements.

We wanted to hear the worst at-home dentistry mistakes you've seen. We asked you: Many patients have attempted to treat dental maladies with at-home remedies ranging from pulling teeth with pliers to using rubber bands as braces. What is the worst example of at-home dentistry you have seen in your career?

Read on to find out how your colleagues responded ...

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#9: That's for fingers ...

I saw someone who had used fingernail acrylic to create teeth Nos. 9-11. They bonded over the teeth. When removed, they were little nubs.

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#8: Chip off the old block

I once had a 30-something female patient who presented with 5 mm recession on her lower anterior linguals. There was a slight vertical groove running from above the CEJ to a few millimeters below it. She admitted to using one leg of a pair of tweezers to chip off calculus.

"Stop doing that!" I said in no uncertain terms. I explained everything that could happen. Six months later, she was back, and the groove was worse. I could just see the faint pink line of the nerve. "Stop doing that!" I said again and showed her the pink line. I left the practice shortly after so don't know the end of the story, but it couldn't have been good.

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#7: Sticky situation

I saw a patient use Super Glue for a loose crown.

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#6: Raw removal

I had a patient in her late 30s come in on a Tuesday with severe pain. She and her mother (and I suspect some whiskey) had removed tooth No. 14 over the weekend. They got the whole thing out! She ended up with a dry socket, though.

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#5: Krazy concoction

I had a patient come in with polymer clay teeth that were "Krazy Glued."

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#4: All-natural remedy

I had a patient who was taking herbal supplements to "cure" her periodontal disease of 5, 6 & 7 mm pockets. Even if it had helped, it wouldn't have eliminated her bulky, open-margined, open contacts, socks-on-a rooster crowns.

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#3: The daily grind

I had a farmer who received a new denture. He thought it was too thick in the flange area and tried to grind it down on the grinding wheel in his shop. Needless to say, he came in with a very rough denture that we needed to smooth and polish. Luckily, he didn't shorten it too much or grind into any teeth. He promised never to do it again.

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#2: Low-cost root canal

Once upon a time, I had a patient who straightened out a paper clip, sterilized it under fire, dipped it in whiskey and stuck it in his fistula ... not once, not twice but too many times over a two-year period. Finally, he agreed to a root canal!

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Read more at-home dentistry stories on Page 9 ...

#1: Big Red

The worst thing I have seen is a patient who tried to super glue a tooth back in the head! I have seen all kinds of denture-related home remedies. One man was wearing a denture with an obturator after he unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide by putting a pistol in his mouth. He injured himself in the palate. The denture became old and loose, and instead of going to see a dentist for a reline, he simply stuck several pieces of chewed Big Red gum up in the open cavity. And, yes, that same Big Red gum stayed in that denture for months until he came to see us!

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Have you seen something even weirder? Let us know in the comments below!