Choose a kit that has been developed with or by dental professionals to avoid doing damage to your teeth. At home tooth gem kits will allow gems to stay on for up to several weeks. If you want your gems to last significantly longer, have them applied professionally, by a dentist.
Always wear UV-protective eyewear, such as sunglasses, before testing or using a UV lamp. Turn the lamp on to test it. It should create a blue-purple light when it is on. Look in the kit for any additional instructions on using the particular UV lamp it contains.
Lay everything out on a clean surface. Make sure you have plenty of light so that you can see what you’re doing.
If you plan to apply multiple gems, lay them all out now. You want to be able to apply them all in a short time while the glue is fresh.
Choose a simple cream that won’t overwhelm you with fragrance when it’s near your face. You only need a tiny amount of hand cream.
Tooth gems will not impede brushing or other dental hygiene once applied. Tooth gems can only be applied to natural enamel teeth. They will not stick to implants or dentures. Don’t apply gems to damaged or cracked teeth, or teeth in need of other dental treatment.
Use soap and warm water to properly wash hands.
This is done to keep the tooth exposed and dry. If the lip still touches the tooth, use more pieces of cotton around it to pull the lip from the tooth. Place another cotton roll between the upper and lower teeth and bite down on it.
Some kits say to stir the glue for five seconds.
Do this relatively quickly so that the glue is freshly stirred when it’s applied. Apply two coats or dabs of glue.
Once you’ve dipped the applicator in the hand cream, touch it to the gem side of the gem. The flat side should stay clean and not touch the hand cream at all. Once the gem is on the applicator wand, bring it to your tooth and press it into the place when you dabbed the glue. The gem should stay on the tooth. You can move the gem into the right place if it isn’t exactly where you want it. Use the wand to do this.
Make sure you’re wearing your UV protective eyewear, as is anyone else watching the procedure.
Take all of the cotton out of your mouth. When you want to remove the gem, there are a few options. If you want to take it off before it falls off naturally, you can sometimes use dental floss to help pull it off from the top down. Otherwise, make an appointment with your dentist, who will remove it the same way they remove dental brackets.
