Dental "grills" hard on the teeth and gums By Megan Rauscher
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060712/hl_nm/dental_grills_dc_1


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Dental grills may bring a lot of "bling"
to a smile, but wearing these devices can cause lasting damage, warns
Dr. Matt Messina, consumer advisor to the American Dental Association.

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.

"What we are trying to do," he said, "is get people to understand the
risks involved before investing a lot of money in a grill or causing
damage."

Messina advises grill wearers who experience any redness, swelling or
pain in the gum tissue, to stop wearing the grill and see a dentist.
"And bring the grill along so diagnosis is not a guessing game."

It's hard to say just how many people are wearing dental grills.
"There certainly are enough places making these devices that there is
some interest out there," Messina said, "but like many fads I know it
is going to play itself out, which is a very good thing."