"Certainly you can move teeth with elastic hairbands, but you have no control over that movement and you can actually damage the teeth, the supporting bone structures underneath, and it can even result in the loss of teeth," said Dr. Karen Cottingham of Cottingham Orthodontics in Indianapolis.
Video screencap
Teenagers have taken to YouTube to show off their new 'do-it-yourself' bracing techniques, involving tying a rubber band between one's crooked teeth, claiming that it would straighten wonky teeth or close gaps in a practice becoming known as 'gap band'.
Video screencap
But dentists such as Dr Toby Edwards-Lunn have warned that this practice could lead to 'irreversible damage'. In fact, this 'new fad' isn't anything new at all - it's just a technique employed for entirely different reasons.
Video screencap
"The use of elastics in dentistry is not a new development," said Rolf G. Behrents, the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO-DO), "One of the earliest applications of elastics in dentistry was to extract teeth in patients ... destroying the bone and soft tissues, and the tooth just fell out, all in about 4 to 6 weeks."
Online image
However, for the purposes that these young YouTubers claim that this 'gap band' may have on one's tooth, AJO-DO warns, "... if the rubber band slides into the soft tissues, it is difficult if not impossible to retrieve it, and it continues along the distal surface of the roots, destroying the periodontal attachment and producing inflammation ... the teeth become increasingly mobile, and then they might just fall out."
Video screencap
While most teen's main motive for this DIY practice is to save on the costs of getting a proper set of braces, dentists warn that repairing the damage done by these 'gap bands' could be much more expensive, if not straight up impossible.
BOSTON (AP) — Derrick White infamously gave up one of his teeth in the pursuit of the Celtics' NBA championship last season.
He was reminded of that sacrifice again during Thursday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
White left at the 7:13 mark of the second quarter after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face while challenging Kelly Oubre Jr.’s layup. Replays showed White getting hit, grasping immediately for his mouth and then picking up a small white object off the ground.
The object, he said after the game, was a temporary four-tooth bridge he has been wearing with the plan to replace them.
“I was supposed to go in like two weeks ago. I kept pushing it off to get my permanent ones,” White said.
He paid the price for his scheduling delay.
“It’s not a pretty sight," White said. "So, thankfully I covered it right away.”
He was escorted to the locker room with a towel over his face. The team announced just before halftime that he was probable to return in the second half, and he started the third quarter. He finished with 12 points and six assists.
He said he knew immediately what had happened on the play. And because of that he had little hesitancy in returning to the game.
“Luckily they were right there. I picked them up," he said. "Then we went to the back and I was trying to debate how I was going to go back. Then we got some glue, I put the mouthpiece on and we were good to go.”
During the Celtics’ NBA Finals-ending Game 5 victory over Dallas White chipped one of his front teeth after getting landed on.
This latest injury came the night after White notched career highs with 41 points and nine 3-pointers in Boston’s victory over Portland.
Teammate Jayson Tatum said watching the play reinforced White's toughness.
“Tough. Just to have to see somebody deal with the same thing over and over again,” Tatum said. “I was surprised to see him come back. But he’s a competitor, always wants to play.”
Despite his bad luck on Thursday, White said it hasn't convinced to him wear a mouthguard going forward.
“It was kind of a weird play," he said. "Honestly, the first one was pretty crazy. But this one wasn’t as crazy. I’ve been putting off the dentist and that’s what it was.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, right, drives to the basket past Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, right, is pressured by Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. on a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
