Gold teeth and grills are popular right now, but they aren't new. In fact, this "trend" has been around since ancient times, and thousands of years later, it still shows no signs of slowing down. If you love gold teeth or grills, you'll love these fun facts as well.
Through the years, there has been a lot of speculation that the ancient Egyptians created gold teeth, but new analysis indicates this idea may be wrong. Here's the background to the story: several years ago, archaeologists found two teeth wrapped in a piece of gold wire with a deceased body from ancient Egypt. They immediately assumed that the person had those gold teeth in his mouth.
However, later analysis suggested that it's unlikely that those teeth were in actually in the person's mouth. It's more likely that he had lost some teeth and was wearing them as a pendant necklace on a gold wire.
Now, historians believe that Etruscans were the real founders of gold teeth. The Etruscans were a wealthy society living in present-day Italy. They lived in the area from about 800 BC until they were overtaken by the Romans in 200 BC.
Decorating teeth wasn't just popular in ancient Europe. On the other side of the world, ancient Mayans were also embellishing their teeth with precious materials. Instead of gold, however, they embedded jewels like jade in their teeth.
Eventually, gold wasn't just used for decoration. In the 1800s, dentists started to use gold as a functional material for filling teeth with cavities. In fact, gold fillings are older than amalgam fillings, and by extension, that makes them much older than composite or porcelain fillings.
Although gold teeth and grills have been around for millennia, they tend to go up and down in popularity. In 2005, this dental option again peaked in popularity. This happened in response to a song by Nelly called "Grillz."
In his song, Nelly tells listeners to "add the whole top diamond and the bottom row's gold". He compared grills to "little ice cube blocks" much like a "smile on the rocks," and he claimed that with a grill, his mouth looked like a "disco ball." He also accurately forecast that an "epidemic" was about to start. Grills and gold teeth have continued to be popular since the release of that tune.
Lil Wayne’s grill reportedly cost $150,000. However, not all grills are that expensive. It is possible to get grills for several hundred. The costs vary a lot depending on the style you want and how much gold or jewels are involved. Your dentist can give you an estimate.
When it comes to gold teeth and grills, Nelly and Lil Wayne certainly are not the only stars who have had them. Many big names through multiple parts of the entertainment sphere have had gold grills or teeth. That includes Madonna, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Beyonce, as well as many other stars.
Katy Perry even showed up to the MTV Music Awards in 2013 wearing a jewel-encrusted grill. The jewels spelled out "Roar," an oft used word in one of her hit songs.
If you want to join the ranks of ancient royalty and modern pop stars, it may be time to get a grill. Contact us at
Gold Teeth Baton Rouge to set up an appointment.
