Most people who head in for a tattoo get a traditional tattoo that involves tattoo inch, a rotary tattoo machine, and tattoo needles. Occasionally, some try temporary tattoos. Katie Holmes, for example, was photographed in August 2011 with a temporary tattoo on her wrist. Some tattoo trends are even more unique. In the summer of 2011, for example, teeth tattoos became popular, especially in Japan.
Teeth tattoos do not involve tattoo ink sets or tattoo supplies. Instead, they are essentially stickers which are bonded to the teeth with an LED light. The tooth tattoos remain for a few days but are removable. In Japan, girls have been decorating their teeth with pictures and designs. The tattoos can be quite simple – such as simple gold teeth or rhinestone teeth – or can include intricate and tiny designs of animals, objects, and people.
Sometimes known as tattooths, teeth tattoos can even be permanent, although this is far less common. In Japan, permanent teeth tattoos are not popular at all, although some US customers are reportedly getting them done. A permanent teeth tattoo involves getting an impression of the tooth at a dentist’s office. The impression is sent to a lab, where a crown is created with hand-painted art on the surface. The porcelain crown is glazed and polished, then fitted on the customer back at the dentist’s office. This type of tattoo is permanent until the crown is replaced or until the dentist grinds away the lays of the crown.
Tooth tattoos are not painful the way that traditional skin tattoos, made with tattoo inks and tattooing needles are. However, tooth tattoos are also somewhat more limited. Since the tooth is a small surface, it is best suited for simpler designs, since larger and more intricate designs will not be clear. The cost of tooth tattoos can range from $75 to $500 in many cases. To get a teeth tattoo, the patient must get a special prescription.
Teeth tattoos also have an interesting – if slightly grisly history. Tooth tattoos were in fact first invented by forensic scientists, who marked teeth to catalogue evidence and scientific material. Eventually, the idea of decorative tooth tattoos for living subjects became an idea and then a trend. In ancient times, women in parts of Asia would use pigment to cover their teeth with black or with gold, so the modern trend of tooth tattoos can date back that far.