Shape Magazine... thank you for giving us some stuff to copy and paste. I mean, to report on... :-)
Think you’ve seen it all when it comes to viral TikTok trends? Well get this ... now some people are using Magic Erasers - yep, the cleaning product you use to get tough stains out of the walls and counters - as a DIY teeth-whitening technique. But like a lot of other things we see on social media, you don’t want to try this one at home.
TikTok user @theheatherdunn has a vibrant smile and shares that she’s always getting compliments at the dentist for her “strong and healthy teeth.” She also reveals the way she gets her teeth so bright and white - by avoiding fluoride, doing something called oil pulling and using a Magic Eraser on her teeth. Her method involves breaking off a tiny piece of the Magic Eraser and wetting it, then scrubbing the surface of her teeth with it. But is it safe? Not according to Dr. Maha Yakob, an oral healthcare expert.
“Melamine foam (the main ingredient in a Magic Eraser) is made of formaldehyde, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers to be carcinogenic,” she explains, adding that it’s highly toxic if ingested, inhaled and potentially dangerous from any other form of direct contact. After getting some worried comments, @theheatherdunn responded in a follow-up video claiming a dentist backs up her technique and citing a 2015 study, which found a melamine sponge removed stains from teeth better than a toothbrush.
But that study was on extracted teeth, not the ones in someone’s mouth. Dr. Yakob explains, “Repeated and harsh use of melamine foam can result in tooth enamel wear and, most of all, accidental ingestion.”