7 days ago
Trying to save ₹6,000 on dental retainer, Chinese woman ends up in hospital: ‘There's reason professionals charge more'
A woman from China's southeastern Fujian province narrowly avoided a medical disaster after she attempted to make a dental retainer at home using plaster, instead of the correct material, and ended up nearly suffocating, reported the South China Morning Post.
The 24-year-old, surnamed Wu, had intended to create an orthodontic retainer but did not have time to visit a dentist due to her work schedule. To save time and money, she purchased a dental impression kit online that came with a set of tools and instructions for home use.
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According to the guide, Wu was supposed to take an impression of her teeth and gums using trays filled with alginate, a seaweed-based material that can be safely removed from the mouth. She was then expected to pour plaster into the mould to form a replica of her teeth and send it to the online vendor for retainer production.
However, Wu mistakenly skipped the alginate step and directly used plaster inside the trays to make the impression. The plaster hardened inside her mouth, and by the time she realised something was wrong, she was unable to remove it on her own.
She was rushed to Fujian Medical University Affiliated Stomatological Hospital on May 18, where doctors found that her mouth was nearly sealed shut.
Dr Liu Yiting, who treated her, said, 'All her teeth were covered over by the plaster, which could easily injure the tissue in her mouth.' Liu and a nurse took an hour to slowly grind away the hardened plaster to free her teeth.
Dental impression kits are readily available on Chinese e-commerce sites for under 30 yuan (over ₹350). One social media user noted that while a hospital retainer cost her 700 yuan ( ₹8,330), she was able to get a similar product online for just 200 yuan ( ₹2,380).
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Liu advised against attempting such procedures at home and emphasised the importance of professional care. 'There is a reason why the hospital charges more. They are the professionals,' said one online observer.
