Do tooth gems affect brushing and dental checkups?

A tooth gem is small, but it does add something to a surface you clean twice a day. The short answer is that it changes very little. A professionally bonded gem lets you brush, floss and attend your regular checkups exactly as before, whether you are wearing a crystal or a piece in solid gold. What matters is understanding where the edges sit, and giving that tooth the same attention as the rest.

Brushing with a gem

Keep your usual toothbrush. A soft brush, manual or electric, cleans the enamel around the gem perfectly well as long as you guide it gently along each edge. Small, controlled movements work better than speed, since brushing quickly tends to skip the narrow band right beside the jewelry.

Hard scrubbing is not the answer either. It irritates the gum line and puts pressure on the piece without cleaning any better.

One habit worth picking up: after brushing, glance at the gem in the mirror and check that no toothpaste has settled along its edges. Raised designs like a butterfly or a star hold a little more residue than a flat crystal does.

Flossing continues as normal. The gem sits on the front surface of the tooth, so it is nowhere near the contact points where floss passes through. If floss does catch on it, stop and let your clinic take a look rather than pulling against it.

What happens at a checkup

Your dentist can examine and clean around a tooth gem without any difficulty. Mention when it was bonded, and say something if you have noticed roughness or sensitivity.

A hygienist can clean around both crystal and gold pieces. They may angle a polishing tool slightly differently to avoid catching the edge, and that is the extent of the adjustment needed.

The enamel underneath a correctly bonded gem is sealed, so it is not open to bacteria while you wear it. Regular professional cleaning works the same way it always did, and there is no reason to skip appointments or shorten the interval between them.

Do tell your clinic before whitening. Bleaching can affect the colour of a crystal, so it is worth planning the order of the two if you are considering both. Gold is unaffected, and because our gems are solid rather than plated, there is no coating to lift or discolour over time.

Between appointments

Check the tooth now and then in good light. A secure gem stays exactly where it was put. If it starts to feel different against your lip, book a visit rather than investigating it yourself.

Resist testing the bond by picking at it. Fingernails and metal objects can lift the edge or scratch the enamel next to it, and a well bonded gem will not shift anyway.

Hard foods are the one thing worth adjusting. Biting directly onto ice, pen caps or packaging puts concentrated force on a small area, and that is as true for your natural enamel as it is for the gem. Use another part of your mouth for anything very firm.

If a gem does come off, it cannot be re-bonded when there is composite left on the back of it.

Your clinic will polish the tooth clean and fit a new piece. You can find your nearest one through our clinic locator, and if there is nothing close by, any dentist or dental hygienist can work from our bonding instructions.