LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- All fads eventually fade; remember slap bracelets? With the popularity of the Twilight books and movies comes a new fad.
Call them vampire veneers or ‘Twilight teeth.’ They may look pale and a little creepy, but let's face it, the vampires of Twilight are the newest teen idols. It has girls like 16-year-old Taylor Walker wanting desperately to imitate her favorite stars.
Dentist Dr. Mary Courtin is granting the Heath High School junior her wish. She's using a plastic-like substance called composite to mold long, sharp fang-like teeth. Walker says "Some of my other friends are just like ‘oh my gosh, that looks really weird. It's more about what I think, really, and I think they look good."
Her mother says the idea didn't sit well with her at first. Jennifer Beanm Walker’s mother says "I'm just like ‘absolutely no way, Taylor. That is a little extreme.’ But it's safe. It's not permanent, although she wants them to be permanent."
However, dentist Dr. Jana Harrison thinks it may not be safe. Dr. Harrison says "Now, I know actors do it, but it's something they wear. Theirs come in and out. It's part of their makeup or costume that they do, but I don't suggest to do it even for three or four days. It's not a good idea.”
She says it can harm the patient's bite, causing pain, headaches and an array of other problems. "But when you put something large like a bonded composite, it gets in the way of our bite. And you can't easily slide it up and over. You can see how you really have to strain your muscles to get up and over it,” explains Dr. Harrison.
Walker's dentist calls it harmless fun.
Dr. Mary Courtin’s office fielded five calls in a week from teens who wanted vampire-like canines. Some wanted their teeth sharpened. Dr. Courtin says "I think this fad might pass, and when they get older, they may not really like that, so I don't do anything permanent."
Bean, Walker’s mother, says "Kids want this. They want to look like movie stars. They want to look like who they idolize, and right now, Twilight is it."
