“Some celebrities have been flashing more than clean, white teeth at their fans. Under the spotlight, the glint from their mouths comes from ‘grills’ or ‘grillz,’ decorative covers often made of gold, silver or jewel-encrusted precious metals that snap over one or more of their teeth.“
The quote comes from an article in The Journal of the American Dental Association, (August 2006) 137, 1192, which references both Nelly and Paul Wall, who can be seen flashing their grillz in the video above. The piece – entitled ‘Grills, ‘grillz’ and fronts’ not only reveals that :
“Grills, sometimes called ‘fronts,’ generally are removable, but some wearers have had their teeth altered with gold crowns to permanently resemble a grill. Some also have tried to attach a ‘homemade’ grill using permanent cement that is not meant for internal use and can damage the teeth and tissues.”
but also alerts :
“Some jewelers and other grill vendors are unaware that, in some states, taking an impression of someone’s mouth is considered dentistry, which requires a license.”
and ends :
“Grills might be trendy at the moment, but ‘pearly whites’ will never go out of style.”