Grills

[Homicidalheathen]

May 18, 2009—The glittering "grills" of some hip-hop stars aren't exactly unprecedented. Sophisticated dentistry allowed Native Americans to add bling to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, a new study says.

Ancient peoples of southern North America went to "dentists"—among the earliest known—to beautify their chompers with notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (such as the skull above, found in Chiapas, Mexico).

Scientists don't know the origin of most of the teeth in the collections, which belonged to people living throughout the region, called Mesoamerica, before the Spanish conquests of the 1500s.

But it's clear that people—mostly men—from nearly all walks of life opted for the look, noted José Concepción Jiménez, an anthropologist at the institute, which recently announced the findings.

"They were not marks of social class" but instead meant for pure decoration, he commented in an e-mail interview conducted in Spanish.

In fact, the royals of the day—such as the Red Queen, a Maya mummy found in a temple at Palenque in what is now Mexico—don't have teeth decorations, Jiménez said.

Other evidence of early Mesoamerican dentistry—including a person who had received a ceremonial denture—has also been found.

Knowledgeable Dentists

The early dentists used a drill-like device with a hard stone such as obsidian, which is capable of puncturing bone.

"It's possible some type of [herb based] anesthetic was applied prior to drilling to blunt any pain," Jiménez said.

The ornamental stones—including jade—were attached with an adhesive made out of natural resins, such as plant sap, which was mixed with other chemicals and crushed bones, Jiménez said.

The dentists likely had a sophisticated knowledge of tooth anatomy, Jiménez added. For example, they knew how to drill into teeth without hitting the pulp inside, he said.

"They didn't want to generate an infection or provoke the loss of a tooth or break a tooth." —John Roach

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090518-jeweled-teeth-picture.html

[deathfearsnone]

i don't understand grills i met paul wall and he had grills they look dumb

[Confess]

[LittleMissLuckyCunt (1)]

omg.

[Rev.Reverence]

FUCKIN' GROSS Confess...hey, good to see you!

[AmieLamie]

I can't stand that shit.

It looks so fucking ugly.

I've seen old crackhead-looking women with them.

ICK.

[CalicoKittyKat]

In terms of teeth, I think the only thing that looks worse than grillz would be canine teeth filed down to resemble fangs...

[Homicidalheathen]

silly grills Edited November 2, 2009 by Homicidalheathen

[pomba gira]

silly grills

Silly is an understatement, for most of those. And... why YELLOW? Eeyeew!

[Homicidalheathen]

from news of the weird, the anti grill.

Cultural Diversity Many mixed-race ("coloured") teenage boys in Cape Town, South Africa, secure their ethnic identity by having several upper front teeth removed, according to an October dispatch in London's Daily Telegraph. A University of Cape Town professor said fashion and peer pressure were primary motives for creating the tooth-gap, and not the popular myth among outsiders that coloureds do it to facilitate oral sex. (The ritual includes fitting dentures for the gap just in case, to give the boys flexibility.) [Daily Telegraph, 10-7-09]

[anametamystik]

How are grills different from cheap fangs?

[Homicidalheathen]

I did the cheap fang thing once. Not fun talking with a lisp and drooling all night.

[anametamystik]

I did the expensive custom fang thing once. I should have them someplace, but they're the same result.