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A nail file grinds away enamel, the hard outer layer of the tooth, and enamel does not grow back. Ten seconds is enough to take some off. Reshaping an edge can change how your top and bottom teeth meet, which can bring on jaw pain and headaches, and an edge filed too thin can chip or break off.
More about a dental hygiene exam in Riverview.
Answered by the team at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.
Full transcript of the video answer on what happens when you file your teeth with a nail file, given by Amber-Lee, IRDH, at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.
Question: What Happens If You File Your Teeth With a Nail File?
“This is what ten seconds with a nail file does to a tooth. It can cause issues where you have jaw pain, migraines. If you're filing wrong and the edge is too thin, it can break off the tooth as well. If you have a teeth question, just let me know in the comments.”
Enamel has no living cells, so the body cannot rebuild it. Once it is filed off, the softer and yellower layer underneath, called dentin, sits closer to the surface. That is when teeth start to feel sensitive to cold and look less white at the edges.
Your top and bottom teeth are meant to meet in a set pattern. Shorten or reshape one edge and your jaw muscles shift to find a new resting position. Amber-Lee names jaw pain and migraines as two of the results, and both can show up well after the filing itself.
Leave it alone and get it looked at. A dentist can smooth or repair a chipped edge with the right tools, after checking what is underneath. At Bright White a hygiene exam tells you whether the chip needs a dentist, and we refer you to one if it does.
Anyone with veneers, crowns or bonding, which a metal file can scratch or crack. Anyone whose front teeth already look see-through at the edges, which means the enamel there is already thin.
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Book a hygiene exam with Amber-Lee's team. We will tell you what we see and refer you to a dentist if you need one.
