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Tooth Jewelry: Gold, Diamond Grillz
By:
Published: November 16, 2006
When it comes to accessorizing, where better to do it than in your mouth? Tooth jewelry is an ever-growing trend taking hold of the nation and our pearly whites.
Tooth jewelry is most commonly identified with grillz. Grillz are defined as a dental metal apparatus featuring caps with diamond inlays. Grillz can be removable, though some hardcore tooth jewelry fans have them permanently bonded to their teeth.
Grillz first appeared in the early 90's when rappers like Flava Flav had gold grillz capping his teeth. Though these first grillz were rudimentary, with time they evolved into what they are today.
In 2000, grillz permeated the hip-hop culture and thus the music world in general. No longer were rappers and fellow dental jewelry wearers alike sporting plain gold and silver grillz, but began capping their teeth in diamond grillz. These dazzling fronts became the status quo when it came to grillz, and if they were not platinum with diamonds spelling out your name, well then they were just sub par.
Grillz are custom made to fit each individual's mouth by using a dental mold. You can acquire a grill for a mere fifty dollars, however if you want the top of the line grill you can expect to spend thousands.
This form of tooth jewelry symbolizes success and wealth in the hip-hop community. With their rampantly growing popularity, grillz have begun showing up in the mouths of non hip-hoppers alike.
Though now essentially anyone could be wearing a shiny grill, many inquire of where exactly grillz originated from. How they came about into existence is a hot topic of debate, but most agree they emerged during slavery.
Slaves were denied health care along with the rest of their rights, so when tooth decay and gum disease began killing these slaves, their masters would invest some money into fixing their dental issues. But of course only the most valuable male slaves would receive copper and bronze fillings.
Thus, the slaves who had the bronze capped teeth were immediately recognized as valuable. This metal in their mouth denoted their worth to their masters and their superiority to their fellow slaves.
Hundreds of years later, these caps are now grillz and obviously more elaborate, yet still signify superiority to those who do not have them. How many diamonds your grill has or how many grillz you own symbolizes something of personal success in the hip-hop culture. With this constant competition grillz are evolving and becoming more extravagant.
However those who choose to have diamonds dripping from their incisors should be aware of the risks. Cavities, gum disease and bone loss are all health risks associated with having metal in your mouth for extended periods of time.
I have the sneaking suspicion that although these risks are detrimental to having a healthy mouth, those who choose to wear the grillz in the first place are less concerned with avoiding rotting teeth and more concerned with bling shining every time they open their mouth. The grillz trend is not one I personally will be partaking in, so I guess I'll just shut up and smile.
Rosenbaum, S.I. "A Mouthful of Work". St. Petersburg Times. 9 December 2005. 15 November 2006.
http://sptimes.com/2005/12/09/Brandontimes/A_mou thful_of_work.shtml
Sims, Brian. "History of the Grill". Hip Hop DX. 17 July 2006. 15 November 2006.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials /id.600/title.history-of-the-grill/p.2
Wikipedia. 15 November 2006. 15 November 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grill_%28jewelry%29
Tooth jewelry is most commonly identified with grillz. Grillz are defined as a dental metal apparatus featuring caps with diamond inlays. Grillz can be removable, though some hardcore tooth jewelry fans have them permanently bonded to their teeth.
Grillz first appeared in the early 90's when rappers like Flava Flav had gold grillz capping his teeth. Though these first grillz were rudimentary, with time they evolved into what they are today.
In 2000, grillz permeated the hip-hop culture and thus the music world in general. No longer were rappers and fellow dental jewelry wearers alike sporting plain gold and silver grillz, but began capping their teeth in diamond grillz. These dazzling fronts became the status quo when it came to grillz, and if they were not platinum with diamonds spelling out your name, well then they were just sub par.
Grillz are custom made to fit each individual's mouth by using a dental mold. You can acquire a grill for a mere fifty dollars, however if you want the top of the line grill you can expect to spend thousands.
This form of tooth jewelry symbolizes success and wealth in the hip-hop community. With their rampantly growing popularity, grillz have begun showing up in the mouths of non hip-hoppers alike.
Though now essentially anyone could be wearing a shiny grill, many inquire of where exactly grillz originated from. How they came about into existence is a hot topic of debate, but most agree they emerged during slavery.
Slaves were denied health care along with the rest of their rights, so when tooth decay and gum disease began killing these slaves, their masters would invest some money into fixing their dental issues. But of course only the most valuable male slaves would receive copper and bronze fillings.
Thus, the slaves who had the bronze capped teeth were immediately recognized as valuable. This metal in their mouth denoted their worth to their masters and their superiority to their fellow slaves.
Hundreds of years later, these caps are now grillz and obviously more elaborate, yet still signify superiority to those who do not have them. How many diamonds your grill has or how many grillz you own symbolizes something of personal success in the hip-hop culture. With this constant competition grillz are evolving and becoming more extravagant.
However those who choose to have diamonds dripping from their incisors should be aware of the risks. Cavities, gum disease and bone loss are all health risks associated with having metal in your mouth for extended periods of time.
I have the sneaking suspicion that although these risks are detrimental to having a healthy mouth, those who choose to wear the grillz in the first place are less concerned with avoiding rotting teeth and more concerned with bling shining every time they open their mouth. The grillz trend is not one I personally will be partaking in, so I guess I'll just shut up and smile.
Rosenbaum, S.I. "A Mouthful of Work". St. Petersburg Times. 9 December 2005. 15 November 2006.
http://sptimes.com/2005/12/09/Brandontimes/A_mou thful_of_work.shtml
Sims, Brian. "History of the Grill". Hip Hop DX. 17 July 2006. 15 November 2006.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials /id.600/title.history-of-the-grill/p.2
Wikipedia. 15 November 2006. 15 November 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grill_%28jewelry%29
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