Black Tooth Lacquering
A strangely interesting custom that is often misunderstood is the Vietnamese ritual of tooth blackening or tooth lacquering. It is actually quite easy to spot the difference between blackened teeth and those stained by betel nut. The betel nut stains the teeth a dark red/brown color and the constant chewing and spitting is also a clear sign. In Vietnam it is common to use red sticklac, a resin obtained from secretions of a tiny aphid-like insect that sucks the sap of a host tree, as a dye. The resin is diluted with lemon juice or rice alcohol and stored in the dark for a few days. It’s then applied with pressure to all the teeth. An application of iron (mainly from iron nails) or copper from green or black alum and tannin from Chinese gall reacts with [the] solution to give a blue-black insoluble coating. The result is that the resin forms a hard Shellac like covering on the teeth, rendering them jet black and hard as nails.
©Kieron Nelson 2017 "Vanishing Cultures Photography" All rights reserved
