How to Get a Grill Like Flava Flav

Flava Flav, born March 16, 1959 as William Jonathan Drayton, Jr., got his gold grill in the 1980's when he was a member of the rap group Public Enemy. He chose gold caps for his grill, which are semi-permanent, meaning that he had his teeth filed to allow for proper fitting of the grill.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Decide on what type of grill you want. Flava Flav has 22k removable gold caps. Many rappers wear snatch-out grills instead of semi-permanent gold or platinum caps.

2. Visit your dentist to make sure that your teeth are in good condition. Experts can only place grills, whether they are snatch-out or semi-permanent, over healthy teeth.

3. Find a licensed, reputable grill shop. Flava Flav chose to go to Eddie Plein of Eddie's Gold Teeth in Atlanta, Georgia to get his grill.

4. Go to the grill shop. Find out what process they use for their grills. Flava Flav's grill is semi-permanent. Eddie fitted Flava Flav for the grill and filed his teeth down so the grill fit properly. Today, most grills don't require that your real teeth be filed down.

5. Follow the orders of the grill shop when you get your grill. The after care of your grill depends on the type of grill you choose. Flava Flav had to eat soft foods for 2 days after he got his grill.

6. Practice good dental hygiene. Flava Flav considers himself a compulsive tooth brusher.

7. Have your grill polished professionally at least every 6 months. Flava Flav returns to Eddie's Gold Teeth to have his grill polished.

Tips & Warnings

• The American Dental Association cautions people to avoid getting semi-permanent grills. They suggest getting a snatch-out grill because you can practice better dental hygiene.

Resources

• Visit the MySpace page for Eddie's Gold Teeth.