Grin and bare it

Dubai: You can literally get a sparkling smile with bling teeth.

Jewellery and fancy wear for teeth are on display at the Arab Dental Show at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre till February 2.

One brand, Jawels, was showcasing clear plastic removable splints studded with semi-precious stones. Users wear the splint and decide what ornaments to stick on.

Dental jewellery has come a long way since the time of the Mayans who used to drill their teeth with low-tech tools to stick gems inside them. Recent takes on that extreme makeover have seen tiny jewels that can be glued on to teeth for a year or so.

But a newer trend is to use jewellery on removable splints, said a Jawels rep at the show.

"Wear jewels when you want, with what you want," he said. "It's for fun, women love it."

A brochure adds the collection ranges from "respectable" to "freaky." Prices vary, with individual pieces costing Dh65 to Dh45 for a combo of 10 items.

There are also funky mouth-guards used by sportspeople. Instead of standard white protection — used by boxers, skaters and hockey players for instance — the colourful mouth-guards can be customised to carry your name, logo or any design you want. Guards bearing national flag colours are being used in sports matches, for example. Custom ones can be made to perfectly fit a set of teeth.

Other interesting products at the show include see-through braces, smart toothbrushes and herbal mouthwash.