The production of gold teeth is an ancient trade. For millenniums, humans have handcrafted dental accessories from precious metals and stones. We see historical examples of this around the world from Mesoamerican cultures like the Mayans to the Etruscans in modern day Italy to the pre-colonial Philippines Islands and the iconic Bolinao Skull.

In the United States, contemporary iterations of grillz largely owe their popularity to Black and immigrant cultures.