Question:
Dental "grills" hard on the teeth and gums ?
Answer:
Popular among the hip-hop culture, grills or "fronts" are removable
dental fixtures that fit over the teeth and snap into place. They are
often made of precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum with
diamond inlays, although cheaper metals are also used to make these
cosmetic devices. They may range in price from $20 to thousands of
dollars.
Messina, who practices dentistry in the Cleveland area, said there are
a lot more risks involved with a grill than most people think. "Since
it's removal, people generally think it's safe. That's not really
true," he said.
Since it snaps over the teeth, food and bacteria get trapped
underneath and can cause gum infections, irritations and cavities,
Messina noted, "and the longer it stays in the mouth, the worse the
problems are."
"If someone brushed and flossed really well, put in a grill that fit
well and was made of precious metals, kept it for an hour or two,
snapped it back out and brushed and flossed again, there probably
wouldn't be a lot of problems, but that's just not what people do,"
Messina said. The grills themselves need to be cleaned daily as well.
The type of metal used to make the grill is a key factor. "The
expensive grills made of gold or platinum -- those are very
biocompatible metals -- they do okay with the body," Messina said.
Cheap grills made of non-precious metals may be particularly
troublesome, Messina said, because they contain a lot of nickel and
other non-precious metals that can cause allergic reactions. It's
estimated that one in seven people have a metal allergy.
Dental Grills .... they sell them at Home Deport for
grilling molars and bicuspids ..... they are yummy
with grilled vegetables ....
