Fashion is an ever changing world … and the rules of this dynamics also apply to dentistry. Previous years dentistry was some thing that was equated only with pain and fear and discomfort . But gradually times have changed . Dentistry and dental treatments are now one of the necessary aspects of a healthy life . And down the line fashion aspects are also getting incorporated in to it.

Aesthetics is most selling point of dentistry. But other than normal aesthetic and smile enhancing procedures few more aspects of dentistry have developed that can be truly called as out of the box fashion . These are TOOTH JEWELERY &  DENTAL TATTOOS  . But if we do some research we can find that tooth fashion or decoration is actually was practiced long time back in many Asian cultures.

What are Dental Tattoos ???

• In simple words Dental Tattoos are the designs that are incorporated on to the artificial tooth crown before it in cemented on to the prepared tooth in the mouth. The pictures above show some wonderful designs prepared on the metal ceramic crown.
• In the case of crowns, dental tattoos are most commonly seen on the rear teeth, but they can potentially be applied to any tooth, and they run a wide  range of styles, colors, and designs.
• The term tattoo is actually a misnomer. An actual tattoo is carved on the actual body surface on the epidermal portion of the skin . In the case of dental tattoo the design and markings are created on a metal ceramic cap , and not on the actual tooth. There is no involvement of the designing with the enamel and the actual tooth structures.

Steps in getting a dental tattoo

• Dental tattoos are usually applied by the dental lab which makes the crowns.
• But First the dentist needs to do a thorough check up of the tooth and deem it fit for the procedure. Grossly carious tooth and mobile tooth are not indicated for the procedure.
• After properly assessing the tooth and when every thing is in order the dentist should prepare the tooth so that a metal ceramic crown can be placed.
• After the preparation the impression of the prepared tooth should be taken with elastomer / putty impression material and the mold is poured immediately with  dental stone.
• The mold is packed and sent to the lab for the fabrication of the metal ceramic crown.
• If the customer wants a dental tattoo, the mold may be sent to a lab which specializes in such things, and a skilled artist typically does the tattoo work, carefully painting a miniature design onto the tooth before it is sealed. Because the work is sealed in, clients generally do not have to take any special steps to maintain their dental tattoos, beyond caring for the crown itself.

The following video is from “Ripley’s Believe it or not” on Dental Tattoo Craze 

How they are prepared ?

N.B

Labs which make custom crowns with dental tattoos say that the tattoos can be removed by grinding away the upper layers of the crown, for people who later sour on their dental tattoos, but do not want to replace the entire crown. For even more temporary options, people can apply specialized decals to their teeth, although care should be taken when removing such decals to make sure that all residue is removed from the teeth, and to avoid swallowing the decal.

So interested to have a dental tattoo … Then go for it … 🙂