Gold Teeth
The use of gold teeth goes back thousands of years. During that time they've gone in and out of fashion around the world.
History
The practice of using real gold for permanent filling or replacing teeth goes back at least 5,000 years. It appears that the procedure was especially common in Africa and South America - not surprising as they were the areas with the most accessible gold supplies. The dental use of gold was thus often both pragmatic and fashionable. With the availability of modern dental restoration materials and techniques the use of gold today is most likely to be for reasons of fashion and status.Pure gold is very soft and unlikely to work well for teeth replacement or crowns. An alloy of gold with one or more other metals is more frequently used. This varies considerably in composition, traditionally it was usually between 10 and 20 karat gold.
Such a gold alloy remains malleable yet is also hard wearing and strong enough to make an effective biting surface. It's also highly distinctive and as such is a definite fashion statement. The price of gold - both historically and today - also makes gold teeth a status symbol in some cultures due to the cost.
The use of gold teeth and crowns in modern Western society eventually dropped as alternative materials became available such as silver amalgam and ceramics.
Always discuss any dental matters with your dentist.
Temporary Overlays
The fashion wheel turned full circle in the 1980s with gold once again becoming a popular symbol of success and wealth. Gold teeth were clearly appropriate a a symbol of conspicuous consumption.Rap and hip hop artists in particular began wearing gold teeth, either permanent ones, caps or temporary overlays known as grillz. Grillz have the advantage of being removable and customizable - it's even possible to buy gold grillz encrusted with diamonds to bling up your smile.