Have you heard of yaeba? It’s a trend among the youth of Japan to make straight teeth look crooked, and it’s spreading across the globe.
But yaeba isn’t just a fun, temporary change to your looks. It’s a change to your smile that can cause permanent and costly damage to your teeth.
Kanning Orthodontics has heard of this trend, and we want you to know everything about it. Dental fads and trends aren’t new, but they’re also not always safe or healthy. Is yaeba safe or healthy? Decide for yourselves.
What Is Yaeba?
“Yaeba” means “double tooth” in Japanese. This trend is popular among the country’s youth because it supposedly gives the person a youthful appearance. It’s especially popular among young Japanese women. The idea is that it makes them more “approachable” without the perfect teeth.
Yaeba involves pushing the upper canines forward to give a similar look to fangs or vampire teeth. Though it originated in Japan several years ago, it’s become popular within the last couple of years and is spreading to Europe and the United States.
Yaeba isn’t the first dental trend to take off. TikTok and other social media platforms show many trends, from yaeba to DIY braces. Most can permanently damage your teeth, so we don’t recommend trying them.
How Does Yaeba Work?
Yaeba is typically created by attaching artificial teeth or dental veneers to the canines or simply pushing the canine teeth forward to give a “snaggle teeth” appearance. A temporary bonding material applies the false teeth or veneers to the permanent teeth.
Some choose to move the canine teeth, which involves dental, orthodontic, or surgical procedures. The changes are permanent unless fixed later in similar ways. Those procedures can be very costly in the long run.
Does Yaeba Cause Tooth Overcrowding?
Moving the canines can cause all kinds of problems for the rest of your teeth. The canines keep the rest of the teeth in place.
When those teeth move forward, they create a gap, allowing the other teeth to spread out behind the canines. This movement can cause gaps in the teeth. Some teeth may move too much and cause dental crowding.
Installing fake teeth for yaeba would prevent teeth crowding, right? The fake teeth are installed over the canines, which adds extra width to the teeth. You may think this won’t have much impact, but it does.
The added width can crowd the teeth around the canine. The crowding can cause them to push forward or back out of the way, quickly turning your straight teeth into crooked teeth.
Why Are Teeth Overcrowing Bad?
Tooth overcrowding can cause several oral hygiene and health problems. Crowded teeth are much harder to clean than straight teeth. That means they have a higher chance of getting tooth decay.
Bacteria not cleaned off the tooth’s surface will eat through the enamel, the tooth’s hard, protective shell. A cavity will eventually form from the bacteria because it weakens the enamel. Left untreated, it may lead to tooth decay and tooth loss.
With crowded teeth, your toothbrush’s bristles may not be able to reach all surfaces of the tooth. The floss may not be able to get between crowded teeth because of the lack of space. This is why they’re more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease.
Crowded teeth can also make it more difficult to chew properly. Your teeth are designed to line up a certain way to make chewing more efficient. If they don’t line up correctly, you don’t chew properly, which could lead to everything from cheek biting to indigestion.
How Can You Fix Overcrowded Teeth?
Kanning Orthodontics doesn’t create yaeba, but we can fix your crowded teeth. Patients in Kansas City, MO, or Liberty, MO, can get treatment at Kanning Orthodontics with clear braces or aligner treatment options. Our patients love the low-profile look of our clear braces and clear aligners. They get straight, beautiful teeth without the look of traditional metal braces.
Patients with slightly crowded teeth usually do great with clear aligners. Those with severe crowding teeth cases typically do better with our tooth-colored clear braces. Which one is right for you? Kanning Orthodontics will perform a complete evaluation during your free consultation and guide you on the best orthodontic treatment choice.
Can You Repair Yaeba Teeth?
Repairing yaeba teeth is possible, but there may be many steps in the process. If there are artificial teeth installed, those will need to be removed by a licensed dentist. You’ll also need a deep cleaning to remove the bonding agent from the teeth and return them to a smooth surface.
Your dentist will need to check the teeth for tooth decay. The teeth may need whitening treatment if they’ve become discolored from being behind the artificial teeth.
Once your dentist removes the fake teeth and completes the other necessary dental procedures, it’s time to straighten the teeth out again. Kanning Orthodontics will create a treatment plan to straighten your teeth back out as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Getting Straight Teeth in Kansas City, MO
Trends are temporary fads that often disappear as quickly as they arrive. The question is, what will you be left with if they do disappear? Will you be happy with crooked teeth, or will you need braces treatment or clear aligners treatment to repair those overcrowded teeth?
Kanning Orthodontics will be here for you, no matter how long the trends last. Schedule an appointment if you are in the Kansas City, MO, and Liberty, MO, areas. We can help you bring back that straight, beautiful smile!