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Ashlyn Chak

As part of the ongoing Y2K revival, there has been a global resurgence in tooth gems – and the trend is steadily gaining traction in Hong Kong.
These semi-permanent dental fixtures, which became popular among subcultures in the 1990s, are usually just a few millimetres in size and are applied to the surface of the tooth with an adhesive.
Most Hong Kong establishments offering them double as makers of grillz – removable decorative dental covers – or tattoo parlours, and there is even one dentist and hip-hop enthusiast in the city who has carved out a corner in his surgical office for his passion projects.
Dr J, who prefers to go by his alias, is a dental surgeon in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood who began making grillz for friends several years ago. In 2022, he also started offering tooth gems.
“Historically, it was dentists who did tooth gems”, he says, citing that the earliest use of the ornaments can be traced back to ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations, where the elite would inlay precious stones into holes drilled in the teeth as symbols of status and spirituality.

When tooth gems became popular at the end of the 20th century, most people did not go to dentists to have them attached. But now, Dr J says, more dentists in the West, particularly in the United States, are making the accessories. He sees this as “kind of a full-circle moment”.
Many Hong Kong tooth gem artists order tooth gems from overseas manufacturers. But, after repeatedly being disappointed with the quality of imported materials, Dr J started making his own medical-grade gems with unique designs, from dollar signs to diamond shapes.
“Tooth gems are still a subculture thing. While my clientele usually consists of people who listen to rock or hip-hop music and are members of those music scenes, I’ve also worked with surgical nurses, make-up artists, influencers, tech workers … and even a firefighter.
“It’s across the board. I mean, tooth gems are quite easy to accept, because they’re not that bold. You can’t wear grillz all the time, while tooth gems are bonded and subtle.”

Miu Lam Pui-shan is a tooth gem artist who opened her own studio, The Sparkle, in To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong, in 2022.
“I started noticing tooth gems on social media because I saw that Hailey Bieber had them at one point. But I think it was K-pop that influenced the trend in Hong Kong,” she says.
K-pop idols such as Lisa from Blackpink, Chaeyoung from Twice, Dino from Seventeen and Lee Young-ji have sported tooth gems in recent years, in varying styles that complemented their ever-changing images.
“Tooth gems are still niche in Hong Kong, but more people know about them now compared to when I first started four years ago. Back then, I had a harder time explaining them to people,” Lam says.

Since 2023, she has expanded her services to making grillz, which have long been more visible in both K-pop and one of its biggest influences, Western hip-hop culture.
Lam believes that tooth gems are a versatile form of self-expression.
“I think tooth gems can look both cute and cool. The Y2K girls usually opt for bolder looks – gems making up shapes of cherries, butterflies, hearts – but I’ve done minimalist styles too, even on teachers and both men and women who work in corporate and wear suits,” Lam says.
Alicia Luk is a Hong Kong tattoo artist, piercer and tooth gem artist who says she has worked with tooth gem clients of all genders and personal styles, usually between the ages of 18 and 40.
“We have people of all genders. It’s not just a very cutesy, girlie, feminine thing,” Luk says.
“Some of them would just get one single gem, hidden not too far back – something you can show off when you want to but hide at the same time – and art student types would go for more gems.”

Luk first learned about tooth gems in 2018 when she lived in London and saw that many tattoo shops there were beginning to offer them.
She ended up getting some herself after tagging along with a friend to their appointment, and quickly fell in love with them. She then completed an online course and started practising on people around her.
After returning to Hong Kong, she opened her studio, Karma Tattoo and Piercing, in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2022, which she says was among the first in the city to offer tooth gem services.
Luk often pairs tooth gems with oral piercings for a more alternative look, featuring different sizes, colours and patterns.
“In a way, it is a confidence boost,” she says. “These days, everyone gets retainers and has really high expectations of how their teeth should look. Some of my customers told me that they were self-conscious and didn’t smile with teeth in photos, but applying a gem made them want to smile more.”

Luk says that safety is an important factor when applying tooth gems and encourages people to go to professionals to avoid dental issues, such as chipped teeth. Both she and Lam have been trained in tooth gem application via online courses.
Dr J’s advice to those who want to get tooth gems is to go to qualified and licensed providers who are “competent to deal with the problems that could happen” – especially because, although not regulated nor considered a dental procedure, it does deal with the mouth and the only exposed part of the human skeleton.
“Doing it in a proper dental setting is important – it’s protective equipment, it’s sterilisation, and you’ve got to make sure all the teeth are healthy and to clean the tooth properly,” he says.


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Tooth gems are seen on the teeth of a client of Miu Lam Pui-shan, a Hong Kong tooth gem artist who attributes the city’s love of the flashy dental accessories to celebrities such as Hailey Bieber and Blackpink’s Lisa. Photo: The Sparkle

Hong Kong-based dental surgeon Dr J has dedicated a corner of his practice to making grillz and tooth gems. Photo: Dr J

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Hong Kong-based tooth gem artist Miu Lam’s work on a client. Photo: The Sparkle

Alicia Luk opened Karma Tattoo and Piercing in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 2022. Photo: Alicia Luk

Luk says that tooth gems can be a “confidence boost”. Photo: Karma Tattoo and Piercing

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A Y2K throwback worn by K-pop stars like Blackpink’s Lisa, tooth gems are becoming more popular among Hongkongers from all walks of life


A Y2K throwback worn by K-pop stars like Blackpink’s Lisa, tooth gems are becoming more popular among Hongkongers from all walks of life.


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Inside Hong Kong’s tooth gem trend as fans add sparkle to their smiles

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A Y2K throwback worn by K-pop stars like Blackpink’s Lisa, tooth gems are becoming more popular among Hongkongers from all walks of life

A Y2K throwback worn by K-pop stars like Blackpink’s Lisa, tooth gems are becoming more popular among Hongkongers from all walks of life