Have you ever seen a baby with pierced ears? Have you ever seen teenagers or young adults with pierced noses, eyebrows, or copious tattoos? A real concern with dentists are oral piercings, such as lip and tongue rings. The potential damage these piercings pose to teeth makes such a form of self-expression downright dangerous to your smile. There are other concerning fashion trends from a dental standpoint, such as bejeweling one’s teeth. As unusual as this may sound, there are some dentists who even offer tooth jewelry to patients. Thankfully, they use FDA-approved glue and safe, hygienic practices (hopefully). More problematic are do-it-yourself kits people purchase online, thereby adorning their delicate teeth without correct knowledge and materials. This can result in trapped food and bacteria and long term tooth damage.
Tooth Jewelry Dangers
How will tooth jewelry with semi-permanent FDA approved glue really hurt your teeth? It begins with the fact that semi-permanent glue is designed to be extremely strong. There’s little chance that when you pry that jewelry off after you grow tired of the look, at least some enamel scratching (or even tooth chipping) will occur. Enamel is the substance that protects your teeth and offers you a translucent sheen. Cosmetically, losing teeth enamel can cause immediate appearance issues as well as opening the door for unsightly gradual decay. Bacteria love a tooth that isn’t protected, and will take advantage of the situation by feasting on the dentin and roots beneath.
Fangs Forever?
Some people even decide it might be a great fashion statement to file their teeth into extreme shapes. Vampires come to mind, as the iconic, gothic characters have been very popular in movies and television shows in recent years. Romanticized by many, dentists even occasionally come in contact with patients who request contouring in the shape of fangs. While dental contouring is an actual cosmetic procedure that is safe in the cases of people who have uneven or over-abundant tooth structure, removing too much of your tooth enamel and dentin can pose a real oral health risk. Besides, in all likelihood, a human beings vampire days are likely to be fleeting, but extensive cosmetic dental work will be necessary to cover up those fangs in the future.
ABOUT YOUR SCHAUMBURG DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
Leave a Reply