When dental beauty is painful

HOW brave the dental scammers are in advertising their services online, be it for dentures, braces or retainers! Equally alarming is the growing pool of customers using the services of fake dentists.

Many eyes were opened to the trend of fake dentistry when, recently, an individual who provided illegal orthodontic treatment after learning the skill from YouTube videos was sentenced to six months’ jail for failing to settle a court fine of RM70,000. However, six days later after a crowd-funding exercise, she was released and her photographs were splashed on the front pages of newspapers.

On social media, some even said a person must be smart to become a dentist just by learning from YouTube and dubbed the individual as “intelligent”.

As a dentist, I feel obliged to correct the twisted message about this incident that’s making its rounds in public now.

All healthcare professionals are sworn to do nothing if it would result in more harm than good. Fake dentistry is the opposite of this critical dictum.

Prior to orthodontic treatment, the patient’s factors must be taken into consideration. This includes age and history, and past clinical examinations and investigations including X-rays.

The severity of malocclusion (misalignment between teeth of upper and lower jaws) is classified using an index which is acknowledged internationally (known as Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need or IOTN). This stage is critical to determine the limit and extent of intervention. Before the braces are applied, filling and scaling are done to optimise oral hygiene.

The patient is scheduled for appointment routinely for adjustment of the components and monitoring of the tooth movement.

A thorough knowledge of ortho- dontics is required to avoid both under-treating or over-treating the patient.

How magical it is for such a detailed course to be simplified into a few minutes’ videos on YouTube.

Some people who are apologetic about fake dentists have described these procedures as “simple”. This is insulting to those who went through the rigmarole of learning in order to specialise in this area.

Having no entitlement to pro- vide the treatment gives the imposters no choice other than to run their business illegally. Their chosen premises are usually hotel rooms or homestays, whereas proper orthodontic procedures should be done in a clinical setting with adequate infection control, and is registered under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998. Instruments may be used for different patients without being properly sterilised. This condition can pose a threat of life-threaten- ing infections such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis.

During treatment, there is always a chance that patients would have medical emergencies such as asthmatic attack, anaphylactic shock or heart attack, to name a few.

Even a few registered, wellequipped clinics have recorded cases of patients dying due to medical emergencies during treatment, what more these illegal premises with insufficient medical equipment.

Fake dentistry is not a healthcare field – it is a business. With huge default in their services, fake dentistry is offered at a much lower cost. Sadly, as there is a demand from customers, there is supply. It is quite disappointing that consumer awareness has not reached the expected level in a developing country like ours.

While some fall for the appeal of low prices, some wear fake braces as fashion accessories to stay trendy. Orthodontic wires and their components are appliances that can retain food debris and bacteria in the mouth, thus compromising oral hygiene. Braces are not a fashion tool and should be worn only when needed as a treatment for malocclusion. Otherwise, it could lead to formation of caries on healthy teeth and, ultimately, periodontal disease.

In one Instagram post by a dental scammer, a potential customer asked whether the orthodontics service provided would be painful. She replied “Beauty is pain”. Yes, that is true. With a scammer in control, it will be painful for the patient’s body and wallet – and certainly a wrong investment.

The truth is that beauty is not painful if done right. DR NUR NABILAH ZULKIFLY Dental Officer Arau Dental Clinic