PETALING JAYA: A YouTube search on dental procedures found a range of videos showing how they are performed on patients.
These include the fitting of braces, tooth extractions, scaling, plaque removal and information about dentures.
Most of these clips on the popular video-sharing website are, however, not instructional in nature but just educational ones to show how the procedures are done by professional dentists.
There are several channels dedicated to videos of these procedures, mostly to allay fears before a visit to the dentist.
However, for seemingly less complicated procedures such as extractions, fillings, plaque removal and even denture-making, there seem to be many videos telling people how these procedures may be done at home. Some extractions are done using pliers or the “string and door” technique.
Another popular video shows viewers how to close the gaps between their teeth, thereby avoiding a visit to the dentist.
Google Malaysia head of communications and public affairs Zeffri Yusof said instructional and educational videos that do not contravene the company’s community guidelines or violate terms of use are not removed from YouTube, which is owned by Google.
“Certainly, watching instructional videos on YouTube is absolutely no substitute for professional training. Most Malaysians are discerning,” he said.
