Are Tooth Gems Actually Bad for Your Teeth?

There are many ways in which we can express our fashionability. Clothes, footwear, bags, hats, hair, makeup, and jewellery can all be part of our personal style. However, the list doesn’t end up there. Many people used to wear tooth gems as a fashion statement, and although this type of jewellery was popular back in the 90s and early 2000s, it seems that it’s becoming a fashion trend again.

However, these little gems might not be as harmless as we think. Many dentists suggest that tooth gems are actually bad for your health, but is there really any truth in this statement?

What Are Tooth Gems Exactly?

Tooth gems are small shiny objects that are glued to your teeth. They usually look like tiny diamonds, but they can also be in the shape of a specific symbol or a logo. They come in different colours, but usually in gold or silver.

Tooth gems are easy to apply and you can put them on yourself. You just need a kit with glue and UV light which cures gems and hardens glue. The gems will fall off by themselves after a while, but you can also go to the dentist to remove them more quickly.

While the application process of tooth gems is simple and quick, here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t wear them.

The Potential Risks of Wearing Tooth Gems

Since you might wear them for a longer period, tooth gems can leave you with discoloured teeth. The area where you wear a gem might be of a different colour from the rest of the tooth once you take it off.

The glue that is used to put things together is pretty strong, and when you remove a tooth gem, you might cause damage to the enamel — a protective substance covering the crown of your teeth. The gem itself can also cause teeth grinding, which can lead to further damage to the enamel.

While you can try to keep your gems as clean as possible, food particles can easily get jammed in them and cause harmful bacteria to spread. This can lead to the development of plaque and cause tooth decay. The same warnings can be applied to wearing dental grills.

Final Verdict

Although we admit that tooth gems might look cool, it is not advisable for anyone to wear them. These little gems may appear harmless, but they can be damaging to your teeth more than you think.

If you want to put them on regardless of the risks, at least get some advice from your dentist as to how to minimise the consequences of wearing tooth gems.