Grillz have long been a status symbol for hip hop artists who want to express their success in the industry. And there’s definitely no shortage of mesmerizing custom mouthpieces on the BET Hip Hop Awards red carpet. “Grillz are commonly seen as an alternative way of showing off one's wealth and even style,” says Alex Peck, Chief Executive Officer of Luxe Grillz. 

He adds, “Gold teeth were originally a way of inexpensively fixing cavities, however, they quickly became a fashion statement largely thanks to the pioneers of hip hop.” 

The grillz expert explains that dental jewelry has even taken new forms with unique embellishments including diamonds, sapphires, opals, enamel, pearl shells, and other interesting enhancements. 

If you ask Peck, we won’t see these flashy wealth pieces going anywhere, any time soon. “Grillz will always be a huge part of the hip hop community especially as new designs push the limits to what's possible in dental jewelry,” he concludes. 

As we gear up for hip hop’s biggest night out, we are digging in our archives and highlighting some of the grillz that caught our attention with their expensive custom swag. Keep scrolling to see the iciest mouthpieces we’ve seen so far!