Let Me See Ya Grillz: Teeth As Fashion

You might not think of teeth as a big deal. You brush them twice a day and that’s enough, right? Well, in the fashion world, these exposed bones can be used as more than just a vehicle to get your body the nutrients it needs to survive. We have a strange relationship with our gnashers.

For a long time, Simon Cowell-esque smiles were the ultimate goal. A penny-sized gap, a wonky edge, a crooked bite, anything deviating from the picture-perfect smile, has long been seen as something to fix with multiple visits to the dentist, year-long braces, and whitening kits. But we’re no longer looking at our teeth with such a critical eye. In fact, we’re looking at those with the desired perfect teeth and thinking they actually look a bit odd. 

Fashion brands have widely championed this natural tooth movement. Gucci, in particular, caught onto it as a marketing opportunity. The launch of their 2019 lipstick range, shot by photographer Martin Parr, saw mouths – and teeth – up close and personal. They showed off teeth that weren’t created through hours of bank-breaking dental work or impossibly good genetics. Fangs, bumps, short teeth and gaps shone through Gucci painted lips, highlighting natural teeth in what was labelled an ‘anti-beauty’ campaign. 

As society grows to accept the idea that perfect teeth do not exist, that doesn’t mean we aren’t looking for ways to elevate how they look. Now, instead of making teeth look naturally perfect, we’re adding a bit of sparkle and shine via tooth accessories. 

The tooth gem trend is exactly what it sounds like; tiny rhinestones, charms or crystals bonded to the enamel with an adhesive. From singular dainty gems to multi-coloured crystals in all shapes and sizes, pimped out smiles come in diverse appearances and offer a semi-permanent way to show off personality and add some extra shine to your smile.  

You might be thinking, oh god, here comes the Y2K trend again’, but oral decoration isn’t necessarily a part of this oversaturated revival. Sure, sparkling tooth gems made a brief appearance in the noughties and have been seen on celebrities who embody the trend, but the decorative practice has existed across decades and cultures since the dawn of time. 

The practice of tooth decor extends as far back as ancient Mayan civilisations. Between 300 CE to 900 CE, wealthy Mayans would drill small holes into their teeth and fill the cavity with jade to assert high social status. The lighter the colour of the jade, the wealthier the wearer. Cosmetic dentistry like this was prevalent in vast numbers of ancient societies that had little to no contact with each other, placing the desire to adorn our teeth as a deeply innate one. Each culture had its own unique beautification process, from tribes in the Philippines who decorated their teeth with gold to reference the mythic gold-toothed Melu (the Filipino creator of the world) to citizens of the Ming Dynasty who carved intricate fish scale patterns into the tooth. 

It wasn’t until the 1980s that mouth accessories truly emerged in American pop culture, thanks to the rise of hip-hop. Grills, caps, fronts, and golds – all refer to the same dental jewellery. The dental trend went mainstream with Nelly’s hit single ‘Grillz’, whose accompanying music video showed the rapper surrounded by people sporting jewel-encrusted teeth. 

In actuality, the history of this hardware goes back well beyond that seemingly ancient Nelly hit. The earliest predecessor of the design was worn by rich Etruscan women who would have their front teeth removed and replaced with a gold band that held a decorative gold tooth. Gold has been highly valued in routine dental practices ever since, picking up throughout the 20th and 21st centuries due to its durability, high accessibility and non-reactive nature. Gold fillings and replacement teeth have filled the mouths of many, transcending boundaries of class, culture and time. 

Many immigrants to the USA, especially those from the West Indies, naturally took their gold fillings with them during their immigration. The glinting gnashers perhaps made them an oddity amongst the American people, but as more immigrants made the move, grills simultaneously gained popularity, predominantly in Black neighbourhoods in 80s NYC. While people grew up seeing gold decorating the smiles of older family members and neighbours entirely out of need, emulating their look became a fun way to honour them and create a defining look for their smile at the same time.  

While in ancient civilisation, tooth decor was a permanent fixture that sounds relatively painful, we’re not drilling into our precious teeth today. Today’s tooth gems are viewed more like earrings for your mouth – doesn’t that sound so fashionable? Where the Mayans used tooth decor to symbolise wealth, today, you can buy at-home tooth gem starter kits for as little as £12. Parting with your money gets you your own Swarovski crystals, bonding resin and a mini, mouth-sized UV light so you can jazz up your smile on your own. Do dentists recommend this? No. Your teeth are incredibly important, and putting any kind of glue on them should only be done by a professional. DIY might seem like a much cheaper way to add some sparkle to your teeth, but it will cost a pretty penny to get your teeth sorted out if anything goes wrong. Some things are worth splashing out on.  

There are many celebs to look to today for tooth gem inspiration. In 2017, Adwoa Aboah made her debut as the new face of Marc Jacobs Beauty with a gold charm adorning her left front tooth; the gem is now the model’s signature look. For a more striking look, FKA Twigs is regularly seen sporting everything from simple gems scattered across her pearly whites to more artistic caps with gold, gemstones and other accessories. She’s even spelt song titles out across her mouth for promo. After her SNL appearance in March, singer-songwriter Rosalía has become the internet’s latest tooth-spo. She regularly switches between grillz, caps, and gems, each time bringing us all closer to joining in on the fun.

When decorating our teeth, we’re not trying to change the appearance of natural gnashers but simply add some sparkle. It’s an opulent option for jewellery, something used for fun or to honour a style inspiration.

It’s impossible to call this a trend because tooth decor has been appearing, disappearing, and reappearing throughout human history sporadically as civilisations have risen and fallen around the world. Oral jewellery is a universal phenomenon, something all cultures have helped shape. From gold teeth and jade fillings to Swarovski gems and clip-on caps, decorating teeth is just another thing that joins humans from across land and time together. There’s only one thing left to do – smile!

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