Thanks to their position in the lower third of the face the mouth and its surroundings are a frequent location for body art. The most recent hit is dental jewellery. From a dentist’s perspective, relatively widespread lip and tongue piercing is a type of decoration that could lead to damage of hard tooth tissue and adjacent gums and is therefore not recommended. On the other hand, an absolutely safe and harmless form of decoration is the application of dental jewellery on the surface of teeth.
How is the jewellery applied?
The attachment of the decoration to the tooth is completely painless and therefore requires no anaesthetic.
The surface of the tooth (enamel) is first thoroughly cleaned and if necessary gently roughened. The ornamentation is then attached to the tooth in several steps. The area of the tooth surrounding the jewellery and any residual dental adhesive in then carefully polished.
Is the jewellery annoying to the wearer?
The transition between the surface of the tooth and the decoration is completely fluid and within a few days the wearer loses consciousness of having a new object in their mouth. The connection between the jewellery and the surface of the tooth is extremely strong, so there is not need to worry about the decoration coming loose while eating. If for any reason the decoration must be removed, this can be performed easily and without the risk of damaging the tooth, in the same way that braces are removed from teeth. After polishing the surface of the tooth regains its original appearance.
Types of dental jewellery
The most popular dental jewellery is crystals from real diamonds or zircon, 1.5–2.5 mm in size, in various colours. The decoration has a striking though not disruptive impact on the wearer’s smile. A whole line of gold and silver decoration also exists for teeth, but these are substantially more extravagant.
Is dental jewellery for me?
The safe application of dental jewellery above all requires perfect oral hygiene and a healthy set of teeth. When these conditions are fulfilled the application of jewellery takes about 30 minutes. The decoration can be applied anywhere it won’t interfere with the wearer’s bite. The most popular area is the upper part of the incisors.
The author of this article is Jan Stuchlik M.D., Asklepion – Clinic and Aesthetic Medicine Institute.
The application of dental jewellery made of various materials is performed by dentists at the Asklepion Clinic and Aesthetic Medicine Institute. If you are considering radiant dental ornamentation, call 234 716 400 for an appointment.