Gold Teeth Meet Mainstream America

Rockin' gold teeth isn't a Dirty South thing anymore. Hip-hop artists Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Chingy, Lil' Jon, T.I., David Banner, Master P., Nelly, Snoop, and others play a large part in the hottest new dental fashion trend: the grill.

Gold teeth are now a multimillion-dollar business that rapper Paul Wall has been involved with since 1998. Along with his partner, Vietnamese jeweler Johnny Dang, Wall designs and markets gold teeth for celebrity clients and everyday people alike. He currently has a shop in his hometown of Houston called TV Jewelry (832-661-5664) in Sharpstown Center mall. Housing the latest kilns and thirty-two employees, the shop has the capability of rolling out up to 500 grills a day.

Wall isn't the only one cashing in on this trend, jewelers in all major cities and many online sites feature these smile accessories. Customers have the choice of a one piece snap-on grill, which sometimes covers a whole row of teeth, or they can choose two, four, or six teeth at a time, popularly known as "four-to-the-bottom" or "six-to-the-top." Also available in the snap-on style are cut-outs, which outline each tooth leaving the natural tooth showing in the center. Big timers sometimes opt for fangs. While the ballers tend to go for "ice” - a grill covered with tiny diamonds - customers can also have words or symbols etched into the caps.

As always, teenagers emulate their favorite stars, leaving parents to pay hundreds for the much-respected bling. The low-average price per tooth for a cap is around $50 while a six-to-the-top cut-out is advertised on MrBling.com for $150. But the prices can go sky high - it is reported that Lil Jon dropped $50,000 at TV Jewelry on two at once.

"Everybody wants golds," said Daniel Gaines, a student at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Riviera Beach, FL. "I got six to the bottom for Christmas last year. You can get them here in The Raw [Riviera], right down the street from my house."

Gaines' comment echos around the hallways at his school where he says at least 100 students have golds in their mouth. This is one of the newest teenage trends and is not limited to any particular community. Gold teeth are also peeking out of the mouths of the Hollywood stars. Johnny Depp wore gold teeth to the Oscars and Madonna also gave it a try.

Bottom line: Grills are hip-hop, hip-hop culture is universal… And this is a hip-hop thing.

The gold teeth on this page can be found on BrunsonJewelry.com and MrBling.com.