But we’re not talking gold teeth and grills. Instead, you might spy a Swarovski crystal, a gold charm or even a bona fide diamond catching the light when someone flashes their pearly whites.
Hard numbers are elusive, and it’s tough to pinpoint exactly what spurred tooth gems' resurgence after going relatively dormant for roughly two decades. But it’s hard to ignore: They’re having a moment.
They’re popping up on everyone from bartenders to business owners, public relations associates to office managers. They even got a mention in episode six of this season of "Hacks."
Mostly, it’s a trend among younger women, but people of all genders and ages are sporting them.
Janelle Cadoo of Chandler has been a registered dental hygienist for 23 years and started applying tooth gems about four years ago. She was looking for a side hustle during the pandemic, and it was a way to flex her creative chops.
“Tooth gems are really popular in Europe,” Cadoo says, adding that they spread to New York and Los Angeles and began to pop up at festivals and raves.
Now, her Tempe-based business, Tooth Dripp — which has grown so much that she has two team members — might serve eight clients on a typical day.
“It’s definitely been a growing trend here in the States,” Cadoo notes. “Since tooth gems aren’t permanent — they’re semi-permanent — you can take them off, and you can change up the look.”
She added that although someone wouldn’t go to a job interview with a grill, they could with a tooth gem.
“They’re subtle; they’re fun,” Cadoo says. “You can get away with that.”
Mel Nichols of Phoenix says tooth gems are like pieces of jewelry you don't have to put on or take off.
Mel Nichols
What inspires people to get tooth gems?
As with other body adornments, dental trends have come and gone through the ages for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found evidence that the ancient Maya tricked out their teeth with gemstones.The fad gained steam around the early 2000s, and like many other Y2K fashions, tooth gems are raging again. Celebrities from Dua Lipa to Mick Jagger have them (though Jagger was a vanguard, having had one decades ago as well), and Simone Biles famously flaunted hers while biting a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics.
Cadoo notes that about 75 percent of her customers are women, and they come from all walks of life: students, models, restaurant owners, corporate workers and “middle-aged women going through a midlife crisis,” she laughs. “Anybody who loves to emphasize their looks or show off their personality.”
Marteen Garcia, who applies tooth gems at festivals and out of Sad Boy Studio tattoo boutique in Phoenix, says most of his customers are female, too: “Young, pretty girls, for the most part, is 95 percent of the demographic."
He adds, “When done right, they can be dainty and pretty and not look so hood rat. It can look real pretty; it can look classy. It’s sneaky cute.”
Mel Nichols of Phoenix, a bar manager and business owner, says she loves to decorate herself. “I think I just saw it as a way to enhance my aesthetic, and it’s a reflection of my interest in body modification.”
Ashley Cervantes of Phoenix, a dental office manager, saw them on her sister and liked them, so she got a bumblebee charm, then a rhinestone, and later a diamond.
“Whenever I see someone with a tooth gem, I always give them a compliment,” Cervantes says. “It’s a nice little community.”
Cadoo says when people get tooth gems, “They cannot stop smiling and be so confident in themselves.”
She added that tooth tattoos, sometimes called “tattooths,” are another trend to look for.
Where do you get tooth gems, and how much are they?
Cadoo says she’s worked at parties, raves, festivals and pop-ups. She’s done them for TV personalities, football players and even her mom and adult daughter. Her fee starts at $60 for one gem.“There’s not really any regulations on doing this,” she says, adding that she made sure it wouldn’t affect her dental hygiene license before she started.
“I knew how to make sure everything was sterile and clean and provide services in a clean, healthy environment,” Cadoo says, noting she orders from “reputable manufacturers” and dental supply companies. “Everything we use is FDA-approved."
There might be 20 or 30 non-dentist practitioners in the Valley with various levels of dental training, Cadoo estimates.
Some work out of day spas; others, like Garcia — whose day job is running his landscaping company, Zen Turf & Pavers — work out of tattoo studios. He charges $45 for one or two gems on one tooth and $25 for additional teeth.
If you want your dentist to affix a gem, you probably have to ask, and you’ll pay more. Most dentists don’t actively market tooth gem applications, but some will do it if a patient wants it.
Dr. Onika Patel, who owns practices in Phoenix and Scottsdale, says, “When we don’t offer a service that’s safe and effective, if someone wants something, they’re going to seek it somewhere else.”
She says she’s put on about 10 or 15 tooth gems but has removed many more that people without dental training affixed. She charges $150 and up.
Dr. John Badolato, owner of Studio B Smiles in Phoenix and Scottsdale, has been practicing for 23 years and had never had a patient ask for tooth gems until about two years ago, he said.
Since then, he’s done about 15 on real teeth and about five on veneers and crowns. For a real tooth, the bonding for a gem starts at about $300, he says; stones are extra, or people can bring their own.
One recent patient, he says, ordered a half-carat diamond to be affixed.
Former NFL player Ron McClendon recently had a larger diamond embedded in a tooth where he had a tiny one for 22 years.
Ron McClendon
How long do tooth gems last?
Tooth gems can last a few weeks to many years, depending on who applies them and what they use to bond them to the tooth. Cadoo says hers stays on for a few months to a couple of years or more.Garcia said his gems only last a couple of weeks to a few months and can be easily removed with pressure on the edges.
Dr. Badolato says five to seven years is the usual maximum, though there are exceptions: One patient, Ron McClendon of Scottsdale, a former NFL player, came to him to replace a small diamond he’d had for 22 years with a larger one.
He got the original gem embedded by a dentist in Canada when he removed his gold grill after he retired to have “a little bit of flash,” he says. “It was part of my persona for so long.”
“I love it,” McClendon adds. “It’s been a subtle thing that people will notice here and there.”
However, getting a tooth gem at a dentist is not the same as having one glued on at a tattoo studio.
Dr. Badolato says he uses a “phosphoric acid etch to remove the surface layer of minerals to make it rough and porous to the glue.” Then, he affixes the gems with orthodontic cement or a composite similar to what’s used in fillings.
Dental hygienist Janelle Cadoo runs Tempe-based Tooth Dripp and trains others how to apply tooth gems.
Tooth Dripp
What are the downsides of tooth gems?
The web is rife with warnings about the dangers of tooth gems, from allergic reactions to enamel damage.But the people interviewed for this article who have them say they’ve had no problems other than initially getting used to the feeling of having a foreign object on their teeth. Cadoo says that it can take three days to three weeks.
Cadoo notes that people who have to undergo surgery need to remove tooth gems because there could be a chance they will get knocked off and lodge in their airways.
As for dental care with a gem, she emphasizes the usual routine: flossing, using an electric toothbrush and seeing a dentist regularly.
Nichols says, “You shouldn’t bite into hard food for 24 hours. After that, I have not done anything different with my oral hygiene.”
However, Dr. Patel says there are many pitfalls when getting tooth gems from someone other than a dentist.
Two of the biggest? The difficulty of removing a gem and underlying damage.
“It’s challenging to remove them because I don’t know what materials were used,” Dr. Patel says, “and oftentimes, I see damage to the underlying tooth structure because appropriate materials that are not FDA-approved or made by reputable dental companies are not used.”
Sometimes, she’s had to use orthodontic pliers to pry them off, which can be a literal pain.
Dr. Patel adds that people without a dental license might unknowingly buy subpar products. She’s asked brands why they’re selling products online for cheaper than what she pays, and they’ve told her they’re fake or expired.
Inferior products can cause permanent damage to lips and skin, Patel notes. She adds that staining can occur around excessive bonding.
“I also think experience is important,” Dr. Patel says. “It’s a really small space to work in, and it takes a lot of skill to maneuver your hands in someone’s mouth and deal with saliva, contamination, the tongue.”
She notes that the tooth also has to be cleaned properly before the gem is glued on.
Worst-case scenario: Dr. Patel has removed tooth gems and uncovered decay in a visible area, which leads to invasive and expensive treatment. The gem often harbors bacteria, masking the cavity for a prolonged amount of time.
Suddenly, that $60 shimmer now costs a few thousand bucks.
Still, Dr. Patel is willing to safely spiff up a patient’s smile if they want it.
“I’m a big believer in ‘beauty’s in the eye of the beholder,’” she says. “Do what makes you happy and what makes you feel good about yourself.”
