What are the risks?
A common risk is that the stone can become detached from the tooth by hard food. If the stone is lost, the area where it was placed should be treated to prevent it from becoming sensitive or even developing caries. There is a great risk if the surface underneath the tooth jewelry has not been optimally pre-treated and bacteria adhere to the tooth.
The bacteria are then trapped between the jewelry and the tooth and can attack the area. First, the bacteria extract the minerals from the enamel so that the area becomes whitish and demineralized. The next step is caries formation. The devastating thing is that the caries can spread without being noticed because the area is covered by the tooth jewelry. The caries is not identified until the stone has fallen off, which causes pain to advanced caries or the stone is removed.
Can you bleach your teeth if you have tartar?
Bleaching with tartar is not recommended, because the area under the tartar cannot be reached by the bleaching agent and therefore a color difference will be seen there when the tartar is removed. The surrounding tooth is whitened while the part under the tartar remains normal. Also “post bleaching” at this point is very difficult. Therefore bleaching should only be done without tooth jewelry.
What alternative tooth jewelry is available?
Besides tartar and other motifs and color variations, there are other tooth jewelry to individualize your teeth. A trend from America are so-called “Grillz”. Grillz originally come from the hip-hop scene and are made of different materials.
They are like a covering rail for the rows of teeth made of metals like gold, silver or platinum, which can be put on and taken off as desired.Grillz can also be set with gemstones and diamonds, so there is no limit to the cost. A grill is individualized and patient-related. It is individually made with an impression of the patient, so that they only fit him.
There are no studies that Grillz damage the teeth, but they do create a loophole for bacteria, so they have to be cleaned well to avoid caries. Cheap products are not recommended as they can cause metal allergies. Besides Grillz, there are also Dazzler, which are made of a gold foil and cover the tooth from the outside.
Like Twinkles, Dazzlers are also fixed with special dental adhesive and are not removable like Grillz. Dazzlers are also individually made with impressions and fixed in the dental office. When professionally inserted, they do not damage the teeth.
However, we do not recommend independent insertion. Both Grillz and Dazzler are cosmetic products that have no medical benefit and are therefore considered a purely private service. Due to the different materials that can be used, the personal contribution to dental beautification increases immeasurably and prices are unlimited. It is therefore advisable to prepare a cost estimate in advance together with the dentist and the dental laboratory.
