Dressing up as a vampire for Halloween is always a simple, go-to costume, but there’s a new TikTok trend circulating the Internet that could make this classic look a dangerous one.

Several TikTok users have shared a DIY Halloween trick that involves gluing fake nails to your teeth to mimic vampire fangs. These videos show people using nail adhesive and even super glue to get the nails to stick – both of which contain ingredients that can be extremely toxic, putting your teeth and overall health at risk.

Dr. Cary Berdy joined the WJXT Morning Team to unpack this recent trend and how it can negatively impact your teeth and overall health, plus share other dental hygiene recommendations to keep in mind this Halloween. Continue reading to learn more, or view the full News4Jax segment here. 

What Do Dentists Say About TikTok Trends?

While tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the body, it can still be easily damaged. The ingredients in both nail adhesive and super glue could not only severely wear down enamel and cause inflammation in your gums, but also be extremely harmful to your overall health if ingested.

It’s crucial to remember that once your permanent teeth come in, those are the only teeth you have, so you must take proper care of them. If someone were to try this new trend and panic if the nail did not easily come off, they may be tempted to just pull until the glue gives out, but an aggressive tug could potentially fracture the tooth.

If someone was particularly dead-set on using fake fingernails for fangs, they could use a denture adhesive instead of glue. The ingredients in this form of adhesive are carefully made to provide a gentle stick via suction, instead of a permanent hold like super glue. While this method may wear off quickly, it’s at least a safe alternative that will hold up for a few festive photos and not lead to any permanent damage.

How to Keep Teeth Healthy During Halloween

Halloween involves a lot of candy but be mindful of which sweet treats you choose to enjoy. All sugar can cause plaque buildup, but indulging in moderation on Halloween is okay and there are actually some treats that are better for your oral health than others.

The best candies to indulge in this year include:

• Any type of chocolate, especially dark chocolate
  • This sweet treat does not stick to your teeth, making it easy to brush off any excess residue. Plus, dark chocolate is low in sugar and high in antioxidants!

• Candy with nuts
  • The crunchy texture of nuts help break-up the stickiness of candy – making it more difficult for sugar to stick to your teeth.

• Sugar-free candy

On the other hand, here are worst treats for your teeth:

• Sticky and gummy candies (like caramels, Laffy Taffy, etc.)
  • The best rule of thumb for this kind of sweet treat is to “be picky if it’s sticky.” The gummy texture fills all the crevices in your teeth with sugar making it more difficult to clean and often leading to tooth decay.

• Sour candy
  • Not only are these treats often coated in sugar, they are also very high in acidity which can be damaging to tooth enamel.

• Hard candy
  • Lollipops keep your mouth full of sugar for an extended period of time. Plus, biting down on the crunchy sugar can break or chip your teeth.

Also, as always, it’s critical that both adults and children spend a little extra time brushing their teeth and flossing after eating all that candy. 

How to Treat a Cracked Tooth

At Berdy Dental Group, we encourage our patients not to wait and come right in if they notice any unusual pain or discomfort.

The key to a fixing a cracked tooth is get to your dentist as soon as possible. Even if it seems like a minor issue, that small chip over time can lead to more serious problems including:

• Pain
• Sensitivity to both hot and cold
• Bad breath
• Infected roots
• A larger crack that can only be fixed by a root canal or extraction

If you have questions or would like to make an appointment, please call our office at (904)-389-1376.