Tooth "BLING" in Ancient South- America

Tooth jewelry.

In hip hop culture, a grill (also front or golds) is a type of jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are made of metal and are generally removable. They began to be worn by hip hop artists in the early 1980s, but they became widely popular during the mid-2000s due to the rise of Dirty South rap. Though grills are fitted to the tooth impression of the wearer, whether they are safe for long-term wear is unknown.

Grills are made of metal (often silver, gold, or platinum) that is sometimes inlaid with precious stones; they are generally removable, though some may be permanently attached to the teeth. Grills can cost anywhere from fifty dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the materials used and the number of teeth covered.

Grills are most often worn by 18- to 35-year-old urban male hip-hop listeners, and at least one commentator has argued that grills will never become mainstream. However, grills are worn by both men and women of all races, at least to some extent, as well as by celebrities far from hip-hop culture like Marilyn Manson or Travis Barker of Blink-182.

Paul Wall wearing his trademark grills.
Some of Wall's grills cost nearly $30,000.

The sparkling  "dental works" of some hip-hop stars aren't exactly new. High skilled dentistry allowed Native Americans to add sparks to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, as new research shows .

Ancient peoples of southern North America went to their local  "tooth doctor" - among the earliest known - to beautify their grinders with notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico.
Scientists don't know the origin of most of the teeth in the collections, which belonged to people living throughout the region, called Mesoamerica, before the Spanish conquests of the 1500s.

But it's clear that people - mostly men - from nearly all walks of life opted for the look, according to José Concepción Jiménez, an anthropologist at the institute, which recently made  the findings public .

He stated that "They were not marks of social class" but instead meant for pure decoration .
In fact, the royals of the day - such as the Red Queen, a Maya mummy found in a temple at Palenque in what is now Mexico - don't have teeth decorations, Jiménez said.

Other evidence of early Mesoamerican dentistry - including a person who had received a ceremonial denture - has also been found.

Skilled  Dentists 

The early dentists used a drill-like device with a hard stone such as obsidian, which is capable of puncturing bone.

"It's possible some type of ( Plant based ) anesthetic was applied prior to drilling to blunt any pain," according to Jiménez.

The ornamental stones - including jade - were attached with an adhesive made out of natural resins, such as plant sap, which was mixed with other chemicals and crushed bones, still according to Jiménez.

The dentists likely had a sophisticated knowledge of tooth anatomy, Jiménez further mentioned. For example, they knew how to drill into teeth without hitting the pulp inside, he said.

"They didn't want to generate an infection or provoke the loss of a tooth or break a tooth."



Source(s) : Wikipedia | National Geographic

Paul Karason (The BLUE MAN)

Paul Karason

Argyria is a condition caused by improper exposure to chemical forms of the element silver, silver dust or silver compounds. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin becomes blue or bluish-grey colored. Argyria may be found as generalized argyria or local argyria. Argyrosis is the corresponding condition related to the eye. The condition is believed to be permanent, but laser therapy has been used to treat it with satisfactory cosmetic results.

Since at least the early part of the 20th century, doctors have known that silver or silver compounds can cause some areas of the skin and other body tissues to turn gray or blue-gray. Argyria occurs in people who eat or breathe in silver over a long period (several months to many years). A single exposure to a silver compound may also cause silver to be deposited in the skin and in other parts of the body; however, this is not known to be harmful. It is likely that many exposures to silver are necessary to develop argyria. Once argyria develops, it is generally believed to be permanent.

Stan Jones | Source

Generalized form of Argyria.Reports of cases of argyria and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statement suggest that 1 to 4 grams of silver or a silver compound taken in medication in small doses over several months may cause argyria in some humans. People who work in factories that manufacture silver can also breathe in silver or its compounds. In the past, some of these workers have become argyric. However, the level of silver in the air and the length of exposure that caused argyria in these workers is not known. It is also not known what level of silver causes breathing problems, lung and throat irritation, or stomach pain in people. Studies in rats show that drinking water containing very large amounts of silver (2.6 grams per liter) is likely to be life-threatening.

Argyria that covers the entire body is not seen following skin contact with silver compounds, although the skin may change color where it touches the silver. However, many people who have used skin creams containing silver compounds such as silver nitrate and silver sulfadiazine have not reported health problems from the silver in the medicine. In one animal study, a strong solution of silver nitrate (81 milligrams silver nitrate per liter of water) applied to the skin of guinea pigs for 28 days did not cause the animals to die; however, it did cause the guinea pigs to stop gaining weight normally. It is not known if this would happen to people if they were exposed the same way.

A recent prominent case was that of Stan Jones of Montana, a Libertarian candidate for the United States Senate in 2002 and 2006. Jones acquired argyria through consumption of a home-made silver product that he made due to fears that the Year 2000 problem would make antibiotics unavailable. The peculiar colouration of his skin was featured prominently in media coverage of his unsuccessful campaign, though Jones contends that the best-known photo was "doctored". Jones promised that he was not using his silvery complexion as a gimmick. He continues to promote the use of colloidal silver as a home remedy. He has said that his good health, minus the unusual skin tone, is the result of his use of colloidal silver.

On December 20, 2007 the world press published stories about Paul Karason, a California man whose entire skin gradually turned blue after consuming colloidal silver made by himself with distilled water, salt and silver, and using a silver salve on his face in an attempt to treat problems with his sinus, dermatitis, acid reflux, and other issues.

On 2008, ABC reporters interviewed Paul Karason, 40 year-old who's skin turned blue after he used colloidal silver to ease his ailments. It started a decade ago, when he saw an ad in a new-age magazine promising health and rejuvenation through colloidal silver. Karason sent away for a kit for making colloidal silver -- a home brew of microscopic silver particles suspended in water. For a while, he was drinking at least 10 ounces a day as a cure for arthritis. "I had arthritis in my shoulders so bad I couldn't pull a T-shirt off. And the next thing I knew, it was just gone." he explained the media, but these claims have no basis in science and after a couple of months, his whole skin turned blue. "I kind of hoped it would fade off!" But it didn't fade off. Argyria is permanent.

Source(s): Wikipedia