Pearls of wisdom!

Whitefield dentist reveals how one woman is making jewellery from human teeth.

Did you read recently about the lady in The Netherlands who has created ‘pearl’ earrings from her own wisdom teeth? She calls her jewellery ‘Human Ivory’ and says that when she lost her wisdom teeth she kept them and later came up with the idea of shaping and polishing them into personal items of jewellery. Now, using other people’s teeth of course, she has created a range of ‘Human Ivory’ jewellery including earrings, cuff links, tie pins, brooches and rings that she unveiled at the Design Academy, Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week. The reaction, as you might expect, has been rather mixed.[caption id="attachment_1159" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Whitefield Dentist[/caption]At Carisbrook, and as a leading Whitfield dentist, we too were rather taken aback when we first read about these latest developments, but when you think about it why shouldn’t we use human teeth as an alternative material to elephant ivory?The jeweller is called Lucie Marjerus and she says, quite rightly, that teeth are the hardest part of the human body and by carefully smoothing, shaping, repairing using white fillings where necessary and finally polishing them she can transform the teeth into objects of attraction and beauty.She goes on to say that several people have expressed interest in turning their own teeth into jewellery. Well, as a busy Whitefield dentist we do sometimes get requests from patients who want to keep the teeth we have extracted and although this is not a request we receive very often we have no real objection. Quite what they intend to do with their extracted teeth though we really have no idea.So what is the Carisbrook opinion of ‘Human Ivory’ jewellery? As a leading Whitefield dentist we see nothing wrong in ‘recycling’ your old teeth. Having said that, however, we would much rather see teeth stay where they belong … and that is clean and healthy in your mouth.With this in mind we always stress that you should adopt a sensible dental hygiene discipline, which means regular brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day, avoiding sugary snacks and drinks as much as possible and being conscientious about visiting your dentist for regular check-ups. That way you will improve the health of your teeth and help to avoid the risks of tooth decay, gum disease and even bad breath.As the main Whitefield dentist we always say: “Your teeth look better in your mouth than on your ear!”If you would like any advice on dental hygiene or wish to book an appointment to see one of our dentists or a member of our hygiene team you can call us now on 0161 951 7295. You can also contact us by using the online form on our Appointments page.