People Are Putting Tattoos On Their Teeth Now!?

Published by Dr. Charles Gemmi

A Board Certified Orthodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, Dr. Charles Gemmi has been a practicing orthodontist with Orthodontics Limited since 2000 and is a member of the teaching staff at Einstein Medical Center. Orthodontics Limited is a Diamond+ Provider of Invisalign in Philadelphia and Hatboro, PA.

You may have heard about the odd temporary “teeth tattoos” fad that erupted in the East. Did you know that there are “dental artists” in the United States who design permanent tattoos for your teeth now too? Crazy, but true!

Here’s how it works…

First, you choose your artwork. Then, you decide where in your mouth you want the tattoo to appear. It’s up to you whether or not the artwork will be visible to the public without you intentionally showing them. Most people choose to put their tattoos on the cheek side of the tooth, but they can also be placed on the tongue-side. You can have it be on your front teeth, on either the back or the front…or in the back of your mouth somewhere. It’s completely up to you! Obviously, this process is not meant for patients with braces.

The next step really surprising! After you’ve decided on your design, the dental artist will take an impression of the tooth you wish to tattoo and send it to the tattooing company. They then print the image on a crown designed specifically for your mouth, send it back to your general dentist, and the dentist cements it on for you like a regular crown.

Apparently, these tattoos are easy to remove if you so desire—you just need your dentist to grind it down with a rubber wheel, and presto, tattoo removed.

Sounds like in some cases dental crowns are now being used for reasons other than those for which they were originally intended!

To be clear, we don’t recommend this…Tattooed crowns would definitely make our job a little more complicated! But what are your thoughts on “teeth tattoos?” Would you ever consider getting one?

Leave your thoughts below, or write a comment on our Facebook wall! We’d love to hear from you.

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