Fashion Discussion: Does The Grills Trend Needs To STOP?

They began to be worn by hip hop artists in the early 1980s, and upgraded during the 90s in New York City, but they became more widely popular during the mid-2000s due to the rise of Dirty South rap. They were recently reintroduced into the mainstream and onto network TV by Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte during the 2012 Summer Olympics. AND NOW...the grills epidemic continues. Are we with it or against it?

 Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown etc. became the latest stars to fall head-first for the fashion trend gripping grills. It is a jewel-embellished accessory we are aesthetically, and morally, opposed to.

It originally started by hip-hop heavyweights like Flavor Flav, Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick in the 80s and was created by New Yorker Eddie Plein, owner of Eddie's Gold Teeth.

According to the American Dental Association in June 2006, no studies have shown whether the long-term wearing of grills is safe. If the grills fit properly and are worn only intermittently, wearers are at a low risk for dental problems, according to the ADA. The ADA has warned, however, that grills made from base metals could cause irritation or allergic reactions, and that bacteria trapped under a grill worn on a long-term basis could result in gum disease, cavities, or even bone loss. School districts in Alabama,Georgia, and Texas have banned grills for reasons both disciplinary and health-related.

Just as other hip hop fashion has been criticized, grills have been denounced by some commentators as expensive, ostentatious, and superficial displays that strain the finances of poor youth. Given the existence of belly button rings, ear cuffs, nail piercings you'd think that we'd pretty much exhausted the list of body parts that can be blinged up.

Do you think that the grills trend needs to stop?