Grillz

The grillz is a decorative dental prosthesis in fashion since the return of bling-bling. The prosthesis is generally made of precious metals (gold or silver) and sometimes or often jewel-encrusted.

The term bling-bling is issued from hip-hop jargon and designates some rappers‘ jewels and get-up.

I thus learned that the rapper Paul Wall played an important role in the commercialization and the selling of grillz. According to Wikipedia, other personalities are known to wear grillz: Joey Starr, Lil’ Jon, Nelly, Gucci Mane and so on.

How is it related to orthodontics?

In fact, I met a new patient who desires an orthodontic treatment to align his upper teeth. He explained to me that he did not need braces on his lower teeth because he had a gold prosthesis made for him that he was wearing on his teeth and they seemed straight because of it.

I asked to see…

And I saw…

This reminded me of the work I had to make with gold during my studies in general dentistry from 1979 to 1983.

Every dentist who studied during this period had to make a 3-unit bridge in gold, one or two incrustations and one or two aurifications. This is what I explained to my patient this morning.

And he explained to me that he took an impression of his mouth, he had poured it in stone and he had asked a jeweller to wax the jewel on the stone model. Waxing was casted in a mold and the gold casting was made according to the lost-wax casting technique.

Just like in my dentistry course in 1980…

For those who knew him, Dr Paul Jean would have quite liked such a student… I believe that he would have been impressed by the adaptation of the prosthesis and its finishing line on the teeth.

I would like to thank this patient (Jo. D.) who gave me permission to use the pictures to create a blog page.

SPEED™ brackets and a decorative dental prosthesis

So here it is. Installation of SPEED™ brackets and the first alignment wire with the grillz in place. For the uninitiated, know that the blue and black paint on the bracket disappears in less than one or 2 hours.

How is it made behind the teeth?

Here is the grillz seen from the back and in the mouth seen from above. It completely covers the anterior teeth and the oral surface of the first premolars.