Dental Tattoo

Dental Tattoo was designed by Princeton nanoscientist Michael McAlpine and Tufts bioengineers Fiorenzo Omenetto, David Kaplan and Hu Tao. It's made of gold, silk and graphite. Looks like body tattoos time has passed and the next big thing in India is getting your teeth inked. A decade-old fashion statement in the West, dental tattoos are soon catching up in India too. "Dental tattoos came in the limelight when hip-hop singers and rappers began to don them to look phenomenal on the stage.

Temporary tattoos are stuck on the tooth with the help of laser, while permanent ones are drilled into the tooth. Patients mostly go for temporary ones because this is a fad, and may not be so cool after a few seasons. Though permanent tattoos can also be removed, temporary ones are easily removable. The temporary tattoos - often termed "gnasher tats" - last upto three months. They can also be removed by vigorous brushing. Sticking a temporary tattoo takes 15-20 minutes. Drilling permanent tattoos can take hours, depending on the design. It doesn't involve any surgical procedure and even getting a permanent tattoo is a painless process. There are no side effects if hygiene is maintained and there's no maintenance cost.