Tooth Gem Removal
Every gem comes off eventually, either because you are done with it or because the bond has outlasted the look. Removal is quick and painless when it is done properly and genuinely risky when it is done with a fingernail over a bathroom sink. Removal is handled at the studio or by your dentist; text (801) 875-9677 for pricing, since it is not on the standard menu.
Prices & Timing
Prices match the online booking menu. Tax not included. Book any of these on Gloss Genius.
Tooth Gems
$25+Butterfly Tooth Gem
$65Disco Tooth
$80What to Expect
Why prying it off yourself is the one real danger
A tooth gem is set with the same dental-grade adhesive used for orthodontic brackets, which means the bond is far stronger than it looks. Levering at it with a fingernail, a key or a metal tool can take a flake of enamel away with the gem, and enamel does not grow back. Almost everything people warn about with tooth gems traces back to this step, not to the application.
What proper removal actually involves
The crystal is released from the bond rather than pulled off it, and then the small pad of composite underneath is polished flush with the tooth using a fine dental polisher. It takes minutes, nothing is drilled into the tooth, and no numbing is needed. What you feel is vibration and a little pressure, much like the polishing step at a cleaning.
Why leftover composite is worth dealing with
When a gem falls off on its own, the composite pad usually stays behind. It goes on clear, and over the following months it picks up coffee, tea and red wine, so a spot that was invisible slowly turns yellow-brown and looks like a stain that will not brush out. Having it polished off, or having a new gem set on the same pad, both solve it.
Tooth Gem Removal FAQ
- Removal is not on the standard menu, because the price depends on how many gems there are and what shape the bond is in. Text (801) 875-9677 with a photo and you will get a straight answer, or your dentist can take it off at a routine cleaning.
- Please do not. The adhesive is dental grade, and prying at it with a nail or a metal tool can pull a piece of enamel away with the gem. This is the single way tooth gems actually damage teeth, and it is entirely avoidable.
- No. Nothing is drilled and no anesthetic is needed. The gem is released from the bond and the remaining composite is polished flat, which feels like the polishing at the end of a dental cleaning.
- The bond pad has probably stayed behind and it will stain over time. Either have it polished off, or have a new gem set on the same spot, which is usually the quicker of the two. Text a photo and you will be told which one you need.
More questions? Read the full FAQ or text (801) 875-9677.
Pull up to Sugarhouse
2006 S 900 E Suite 107, Salt Lake City, UT 84105A private, one-on-one studio minutes from 9th & 9th, Liberty Wells, Millcreek and downtown Salt Lake City. Mon–Fri 10 AM – 7 PM, Saturdays upon request.