Grill (jewelry)

Characteristics

Grills are made of several types of metal (often silver, gold or platinum) that are sometimes inlaid with precious stones; they are generally removable, though some may be permanently attached to the teeth. Gold grills can be made from 10-karat, up to 24-karat gold. The gold can be tinted yellow, white and rose color.

Grills can potentially cost thousands of dollars, depending on the materials used and the number of teeth covered.

Grills received mainstream attention, including on network television, when, during the 2012 Summer Olympics, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte posed with a grill set with stones in the design of an American flag; he had recently worn diamond grills after earlier competitions.

History

The insertion of gems into teeth predates hip hop culture. Hip hop artists such as Raheem the Dream and Kilo Ali began wearing grills in the early 1980s.

New York-based Eddie Plein, owner of Famous Eddie's Gold Teeth and Johnny Dang are often credited with kickstarting and expanding the trend. Plein began adapting dental crowns from single teeth into multiple caps thus creating the first grills originally known as fronts or caps. His first notable celebrity customer was Just Ice who would popularize gold fronts by donning his custom teeth on the cover of his 1987 album Kool and Deadly photographed by Janette Beckman.

With grills popularity rising, Plein made gold caps for Flavor Flav, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap. He later moved to Atlanta, where he designed ever-more-elaborate grills for rappers such as OutKast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, and Lil Jon.

Grills remained popular in the Southern U.S., especially in Miami, Tampa, Memphis and Atlanta even as they rose and fell from popularity elsewhere, and the rise of Dirty South rappers in the 2000s spurred a nationwide grill trend. During this time, grills frequently appeared in hip hop music, most notably in the 2005 number-one single "Grillz," by Nelly, Paul Wall, Big Gipp, and Ali, and in other Paul Wall songs. Wall is known for his grill business as well as his rapping; his clients include Kanye West and Cam'ron.

Grills maintained their popularity into the 2010s, with French grillmaker Dolly Cohen creating custom oral jewelry for Barbados singer Rihanna as well as Cara Delevingne and Rita Ora.

Custom grills maintained its popularity in the music industry, not just men but women, as well. Katy Perry, Beyonce, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga are notable among female popstar celebrities to have donned grills.

Manufacture

While early grills could not be removed easily and involved reshaping the tooth itself to fit the grill, grills are today made from custom dental molds. For more expensive grills, a dentist takes a mold of the wearer's front teeth with a quick set molding compound, such as silicone rubber or dental alginate. A tooth casting is obtained by filling the alginate or silicone rubber negative mold with a gypsum cement such as Buffstone, which is removed from the mold when set and used as a positive form on which to build a wax model that conforms exactly to the original set of teeth. The resulting wax model is cast in gold using the lost-wax process, then it's finished by hand, and precious stones, if any, are set into the metal. Some manufacturers take shortcuts from this difficult and expensive process, offering generic grills backed with a molding compound to make them fit the teeth, or use base metals like brass and nickel. Such grills may be less comfortable or dependable than grills that are professionally fitted. In several instances jewelers manufacturing grills from impressions they've made from their client's teeth have been charged with a felony: practicing dentistry without a license.

Criticism and health hazards

According to the American Dental Association (ADA) in June 2006, no studies have shown whether the long-term wearing of grills is safe. If the grills fit properly and are worn only intermittently, wearers are at a low risk for dental problems, according to the ADA. School districts in Alabama, Georgia, and Texas have banned grills for reasons both disciplinary and health-related.

References

References

1. Kedar, Namrata. (July 7, 2021). "Justin Bieber, Pharrell Williams, Madonna: 17 celebs putting their money where their mouth is with glitzy grillz".
2. (August 15, 2017). "Grillz: The History Behind Those Expensive Smiles".
3. Roberts, Brian. (August 28, 2015). "A Brief History Of Grillz: 4500 Years Of Style".
4. Schepp, David. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1471097.stm "Gold Teeth Are a Gold Mine."] ''[[BBC News]]'' (August 3, 2001). Accessed September 14, 2007.
5. [http://www.krunkgrillz.com/goldfaq.aspx "Facts about gold teeth"] Krunk Grillz. Accessed January 1, 2014.
6. link. (2007-05-09 ''Hip Hop DX'' (July 17, 2006). Accessed September 14, 2007.)
7. Auerbach, Nichole. (July 28, 2012). "Ryan Lochte's post-race grill shines with stars and stripes". USA Today.
8. (March 1941). "New examples of tooth mutilation from Middle America". American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
9. "SelfGem".
10. Steven, Curtis. "Rap Sinks Teeth into Grills." ''[[Tampa Tribune]]'' (February 2, 2006).
11. Heldman, Breanne L. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2005/10/06/2005-10-06_more_bite_for_the_buck__brac.html "More Bite for the Buck."] {{webarchive. link. (2007-10-22 ''[[New York Daily News]]'' (October 6, 2005).)
12. Ellenberg, Celia. (March 6, 2014). "Introducing Dolly Cohen: The French Jewelry Designer Behind Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky's Custom Grillz". Vogue.
13. DelliCarpini Jr., Gregory. (February 25, 2014). "Pop Star Ladies Wearing Grills: Madonna, Miley, Beyonce & More Show Off Golden Chops{{!}} Explorer".
14. [http://deezgrillz.com/ "Various grill types and styles"] Deezgrillz.com (November 10, 2016)
15. .
16. Rosenbaum, S.I. [[https://reason.com/2018/10/09/fla-grills-dentisty-license-arrest-fine/https://reason.com/2018/10/09/fla-grills-dentisty-license-arrest-fine/] ''[[St._Petersburg_Times]]'' (December 17, 2005).
17. [[American Dental Association]]. [http://www.ada.org/public/media/releases/0606_release03.asp "Dentists Say Dental Grills (Grillz) Might Bring Glitz, But Could Tarnish Smile."] ADA.org (June 28, 2006). Accessed September 14, 2007. {{webarchive. link. (September 27, 2007)
18. The ADA has warned, however, that grills made from [[base metal]]s could cause irritation or [[allergic reaction]]s, and that bacteria trapped under a grill worn on a long-term basis could result in [[gum disease]], [[Dental caries|cavities]], or even bone loss.Du Lac, J. Freedom. [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/0120grills0120.html "Brace Yourselves: Designer 'Grills' Have Rappers Smiling."] ''[[Washington Post]]'' (January 17, 2006).
19. [http://www.spin.com/features/news/2006/07/060713_grills/ "Texas School District Bans Grills."] {{Webarchive. link. (2007-09-29 ''[[Spin Magazine). Spin]]'' (July 13, 2006).