The National Museum of Dentistry will be closed to the public Monday, Dec. 23rd through Friday, Jan. 3rd in accordance with the University of Maryland, Baltimore's holiday break schedule. We will reopen to the public with normal hours of operation on Tuesday, Jan. 7th. We wish everyone a joyous and happy end to the year!

Additional Resources

References Ainsworth, S. (2007). Hollywood smiles: aesthetics in dentistry. Dental Nursing, 3(5), 268–270. https://doi.org/10.12968/denn.2007.3.5.29713 Ai, S., Ishikawa, T., & Seino, A. (1965). “Ohaguro” traditional tooth staining custom in Japan....

Associated Risks

Is it safe? If not performed by properly trained professionals, dental modifications can be risky. Undergoing a dental modification can lead to great pain, infection, and even death in the most extreme circumstances, but fortunately these severe collateral...

The Whos and Whys

“Chiseling teeth, Mentawai Island,” circa 1938, Indonesia byTropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Beginning from ancient Etruscan and Maya times, which were also marked with animist religions, dental...

Modern Practices

Traditional modifications are still practiced by many cultures around the world, but since the 19th century there have been many advances in technology, medicine, and dentistry, leading up to the 1970s popularity surge in aesthetic or cosmetic dentistry. During this...

Traditional Practices

Dental modifications are meant to be seen. As a result, the focus of practice has almost always been contained to the front teeth, the incisors and canines, as they are the most visible when opening the mouth when talking, eating, or smiling. These teeth were also the...
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