Love Your Smile? Avoid These Selfie & Social Media Trends….
Thinking of risking your health for social media reach? Think again…
These days over 3.5 billion people use social media, and that number is predicted to be more like 4 billion by 2025. It can help us make friends, share happy memories and even earn you money so there’s a lot to appreciate about it.
Of course, there are downsides to social media, including certain trends that can affect your safety, and the health of your smile.
Abbey Road Dental want to put a spotlight on some of the most well-known risky trends and social media habits to help you avoid them, and keep your oral health and overall wellbeing in great shape!
Risky Selfies
As more and more people get onto social media and try to compete with posting more and more incredible selfies, the risks go up. There are many heartbreaking stories about selfie-takers falling off cliffs, bridges and even falling down waterfalls because risks were taken for the photo.
Of course, this is the worst case scenario and it goes without saying – it isn’t worth risking your life to take a good selfie.
Less advertised are the various accidents that can happen when risky selfies are taken. Many people have been robbed as they are so focused on their selfie, they ignore their surroundings.
More people than you might think trip and fall when they walk, filming a video or getting the right selfie light, breaking bones, spraining wrists or even breaking teeth! Whilst your NW8 clinic is here with all kinds of innovative treatments to help you if you do damage your teeth, we’d rather you kept your natural teeth safe, rather than risking them for a selfie.
If you want to take a nice selfie, check your surroundings are safe, don’t walk around whilst looking at your phone and never take unnecessary risks to take a picture.
Unsafe Aesthetics & Teeth Whitening To Keep Up With Others
Here at Abbey Road Dental we offer teeth whitening and beauty aesthetic treatments for patients looking to enhance their smile and looks in a safe, clinical setting. The treatments are only ever provided by qualified, experienced members of our team.
Unfortunately, to keep up with appearances on social media a lot of people are not seeking these treatments in safe places. Teeth whitening might be done using internet kits, or performed by beauticians who cannot safely perform the treatment. Sadly, this can result in gum burning, damage to the teeth enamel and even serious burns on the soft tissues in the mouth. Facial aesthetics like fillers and other injectables are also being given by unqualified practitioners.
Organisation Save Face explains in this article how anybody applying non-surgical beauty treatments does not need to have any qualifications at all. They don’t even need any training. How terrifying is that? Once facial aesthetics go wrong they can cause some absolutely awful side effects like infections, lumpiness, facial drooping, swelling and tissue death. In the worst case scenario, people have died having these treatments from unqualified people.
Whilst we understand having a beauty boost from these treatments can enhance your social media confidence, it isn’t worth risking your health to save on the cost of treatment. Always prioritise your wellbeing and choose qualified professionals who offer these treatments in a clean, clinical setting.
Eating/ Drinking Fads
It’s very easy these days to see all kinds of food and drink enjoyed on social media, and want to join in. Whether it is a sour sweetie challenge, or a lasagne cake, there’s always something new to try.
From a dental perspective, it’s a really good idea to regulate your eating and drinking to keep your body, and smile healthy, avoiding overdoing anything for the sake of a video. Too much sugar, acid and starchy carbs can be really bad for your oral health. It’s also a good idea to avoid any challenge where you’re breaking hard foods with your teeth, or using your teeth like a tool to open things like beer bottles.
Corn Attached To A Power Drill
For social media, a lot of people have been seen eating corn on the cob as it is spinning on a power drill. It came about in 2016 as a fad, but has an occasional resurgence, as with the Jason Derulo video from 2020. Unfortunately, the result of doing this is often dental damage, ranging from chipped teeth, to full breaking of the front teeth.
Whilst our NW8 clinic has lots of dental restoration options for missing teeth, we encourage all our St John’s Wood dental patients to avoid risky activities like this so their natural teeth can stay in good shape! It’s only funny until the damage happens.
Coronavirus Challenge (no really….)
The coronavirus challenge is where you are encouraged to lick public surfaces to risk catching coronavirus, and film yourself doing it. Clearly, this challenge is risky to your general health and should never, ever be attempted. There are also all kinds of other germs on public spaces where lots of people touch or cough onto the surface, none of which you want to allow inside your body through licking that surface.
Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge
The Kylie Jenner lip challenge is where your lips are put into a receptacle like a shot glass, and the air is sucked out in order to puff up the lips. This is in an attempt to have the same lips as Kylie Jenner. The results of this challenge are different for each person, but many have damaged their lips by doing the challenge. Bruised, split and sore lips are visible on many people who have done the challenge, all for the sake of a picture.
Abbey Road Dental recommends that you only use lip plumping lip glosses and other tested products for making the most of your lips. If you do want lip enhancement, please consider speaking to qualified beauty aesthetics practitioners who offer the treatment in a clinical, safe setting.
Ditch The Risky Social Media Trends – Stay Safe And Healthy!
Would you like to stay safe and healthy and enhance your appearance for a confidence boost you can enjoy on and off social media? Consider speaking to Abbey Road Dental about facial aesthetics or cosmetic dentistry. Our staff are qualified, experienced and skilled and we work within a clinical, well-equipped, safe setting. Please call us on 02076241603 to discuss our treatments and to book a consultation in our friendly, professional St John’s Wood clinic.