Dentistry, Hip Hop Grills

Features and demography carriers
Carriers of grills are normally part of the culture of gangsta rap, urban males 18 to 35 years old. Despite this general trend, the leading men and women of all races, as well as celebrities away from the hip-hop scene, such as Johnny Depp and Travis Barker of Blink-182, are wearing grills.

Fifty grills can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the number of parts and materials covered. For example, some of Paul Wall’s grills cost $30,000. The most expensive grills are designed to adapt to dental molds.

Murray Forman, a professor specializing in popular music and hip-hop at Northeastern University, has suggested that grills, like other bling-bling jewels, symbolize economic success, which is especially important for the lower class American.

Forman also suggests that grills attract attention to the wearers’ mouths, reflecting the importance of oral skills in the African American community. He cites the importance of oral tradition of West Africa, African Americans and MC's trash-talk of basketball players.

Manufacturing
The first grills could not be removed easily, and the shape of the teeth had be to altered to fit the grills. Currently grills are made from dental impressions. For more expensive grills a dentist takes a mold with alginates of a customer's front teeth. After getting a mold of the teeth, by filling the alginate with plaster, the plaster mold is then used to make the grill.

In the hip-hop culture a grill is a kind of bling-bling jewelry that is carried in the teeth. The grills are made of metal (often silver, gold or platinum), sometimes inlaid with precious stones. Although some are permanent, they can usually be removed. They started to be used by some of the gangsta hip-hop artists in the early 1980s, and reached popularity in mid-2000 because of the rise of dirty south rap. Although grills are tailored to the dental impression of the owner, they can cause problems if they are carried over long periods of time.

History
Hip-hop artists began to wear grills in the early 1980s. Eddie Plein is considered the initiator of the fashion. Plein first had sleeves made of gold for Flava Flav, and later for New Yorkers rappers Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap. He then moved to Atlanta, where he designed more elaborate grills for rappers such as Outkast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris and Lil Jon. Slick Rick is also cited as one of the pioneers the grills.

The grills remained popular in southern states, but lost popularity in other places. The success of rappers from the “dirty south” in the decade of 2000 prompted a national fashion. During this time, grills appeared often in the mouths of hip-hop music artists.

Grills were the theme of the 2005 single “Grillz,” which featured Nelly, Paul Wall, Ali and Big Gipp. Grills were also prominent in other songs from Paul Wall. Wall is famous for his business of selling grills as well as his rap. His clients include Kanye West and Cam'Ron.

Less expensive grills can be made from a printout, which is made by having the customer bite wax that has been softened in water. These types of grills may be less comfortable than those made from a professional mold, and some jewelers who have made grills in this way have been accused of practicing dentistry without a license.

Criticisms and health hazards
According to the American Dental Association, there are no studies (as of June 2006) showing whether or not the long-term use of grills is safe. If the grills are well adapted and taken care of, the carrier has a low risk of suffering dental problems, according to the ADA.

However, the ADA has warned that the grills made of base metals can cause irritation and allergic reactions, and that bacteria can be trapped under the grill, which in the long-term will cause decay or periodontitis. Some school districts in Alabama, Georgia, and Texas have policies banning grills, for both disciplinary and hygienic reasons.