Is Dental Jewellery Safe to Wear?
Safety is an important issue when it comes to applying fashion accessories to such delicate structures as your teeth. Teeth are extremely fragile and are meant to last us a lifetime; therefore, needlessly applying fashion accessories to the teeth does raise some concern for your oral health. Fortunately, these sorts of dental jewellery are, on the whole, safe to wear and are not thought to cause damage to your teeth when used wisely.
It goes without saying that milk teeth jewellery causes absolutely no damage to anyone's oral health; unless, that is, your desire for a gorgeous necklace leads you to gently forcing your child's milk teeth from their mouth. Hopefully, this is not the case!
How safe are tooth gems?
Dentists actually look at tooth gems and stones as the safe form of mouth decoration when comparing them to more popular forms of accessory such as lip and tongue piercings. Piercings in the mouth are a dentist's worst nightmare; they have the potential to cause a multitude of damage to your oral health. As there are so many safety issues with piercings, we will look at these in detail in a later section. Small gems on the tooth are in no way harmful to the tooth; it is too small to irritate gum tissue; it is easily kept clean if the wearer pays good attention to their oral hygiene; and the glue used for application is the same as that used for other dental procedures such as brace fittings and is therefore not harmful to the tooth enamel.
This safety, however, depends on the method you choose for application of your tooth gem. When the gem is applied professionally by a dentist then it is true that any damage is very unlikely. The same safety cannot be guaranteed if you choose to use an at-home kit. When you visit a dentist for the treatment, the dentist will assess the area for suitability and for any damage prior to application. Already existent damage would usually have to be treated before application as a damaged tooth may not be strong enough to withstand the procedure. The dentist will also clean the area thoroughly prior to application so that your tooth is sparkling from the offset with its brand new look.
Tooth gem warning
These gems should only ever be applied to real teeth. If you use a DIY kit and do not know this little detail then again there is a risk of damage; hence the reason you should always seek professional advice. Furthermore, there is a chance that the gem could cause some slight discolouration to the area where it is applied if it is worn for an excessive length of time. The gem has potential to last anything up to a year and when an area is covered for such a long time it is natural that there may be some mark or stain when the gem is removed. Nevertheless it is likely that this discolouration is not permanent.
Dental grill safety issues
There are a few more safety issues with dental grills than with tooth gems but again if the wearer is sensible then potential damage can be avoided. There is risk of allergic reactions, irritation to the gums and wearing of the tooth enamel. The metal itself could cause allergic reactions in some cases and the heaviness of the metal means that irritation to gum tissue and wearing of the tooth enamel is a very real possibility. This is very easily prevented however by following a basic rule: do not wear the grill for excessive periods of time and do not wear it unnecessarily, for instance, when eating or sleeping.
A good oral hygiene routine
The main priority with any piece of jewellery you wear in your mouth is maintaining a good oral hygiene routine. When you have any foreign object such as a gem, a piercing or a dental grill in your mouth they are a natural attraction for bacteria and food particles. It is important that you pay extra attention to cleaning these areas properly to avoid plaque build up that may lead to gum disease and dental cavities. If the accessory is removable then it is paramount that you remove it when you clean your teeth. You should also clean the accessory thoroughly to avoid transferring plaque bacteria back into your newly plaque-free mouth.
The basic message is that these dental accessories are relatively safe to wear and should not cause any harm to your teeth and gums as long as they are fitted and cared for properly. If the wearer is sensible then there is nothing stopping them from looking super stylish and still having a perfectly healthy smile.