TikTok Teeth Shaving

About

TikTok Teeth Shaving, sometimes referred to as a Veneers Check, is a trend and internet challenge that became popularized on TikTok under the hashtag #veneerscheck as part of the process for people getting their natural teeth replaces with ceramic veneers. Some of the videos include people “shaving” their teeth with nail files or household tools while others simply show their teeth shaved to tiny pegs after receiving professional treatments to get veneers. Since becoming a trend, several media outlets and dentists have reported on the story and warned that it could lead to permanent teeth damage or dentures at an early age. Several memes mocking the trend have also appeared elsewhere online in the second half of 2020.

Origin

In the summer of 2020, several TikTok users began posting videos of themselves discussing the practice of filing or shaving down their teeth either to straighten uneven teeth or to prep themselves for getting veneers. One of the earliest videos was uploaded on June 3rd, by TikToker^[1] miadio who posted a clip of herself filing her teeth with a nail file. The video received over 447,000 views, 51,700 likes, 2,155 shares and 810 comments in roughly six months (shown below).

Spread

On August 10th, 2020, TikToker^[2] taysb16 posted another clip of their shaved teeth under the hashtag #veneerscheck, receiving over 2.3 million views, 89,100 likes, 3,200 shares and 1,500 comments in almost four months (seen below, left). On September 1st, TikToker^[3] thebentist put out a PSA video on filing teeth, receiving over 24.2 million views, 4.6 million likes, 19,900 shares and 15,600 comments in three months (seen below, center). On November 18th, TikToker^[4] and dentist drshaadimanouchehri posted a clip showing some examples of people participating in the trend with professional advice on why it was harmful, receiving over 7.4 million views, 1.2 million likes, 25,100 shares and 11,000 comments in three weeks (seen below, right).

As the story surrounding the social trend spread, several media outlets covered it online, including Dazed Digital,^[5] Insider,^[6] Pop Buzz^[7] and BuzzFeed,^[8] who discussed with professionals how filing or shaving one’s teeth could lead to permanent damage or tooth loss.

Memes poking fun at the trend or expressing confusion over it also appeared around the web. On November 26th, a 9GAG^[9] user posted one such example, receiving over 2,400 points and 414 comments in five days (seen below, left). Another example was reposted to Memes.com^[10] by user Kingofmemes666, receiving over 400 likes and 23 comments in nine weeks (seen below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References