If you’ve been paying close enough attention to the world of hip-hop, you might have noticed a lot less stars displaying grills and gold fronts.  Many celebrities are now choosing to play it safe and keep their teeth white, straight, and free of jewelry.  You can call it the natural approach.  One of the leading dentists in Hollywood behind this trend is Dr. Michael Kosdon, owner of The Oaks Center for Cosmetic Dentistry. 

Dr. Kosdon has been responsible for handling crooked teeth that need to be straightened, worn or chipped teeth that need to be lengthened, dingy teeth that need to be whitened, and more.  Some of his clients have included Keyshia Cole, Landon Brown, son of Bobby Brown, Hilary Duff, Aaron Carter, and more. 

Sixshot sat in the patient’s chair as we went into the mind of a celebrity dentist to get his thoughts on grills, the myths of dentistry, the most effective dental products, and the best and worst smiles in hip-hop, and more. 
 
Sixshot.com:  Why do you think many hip-hop celebrities are opting for cosmetic dentistry and leaving behind grills?

Dr. Kosdon:  I find that a lot of people want to cross over and do Hollywood stuff and start a movie career.  When you have gold in your moth that really doesn’t transform you rself into an image on screen.  For some rappers having all the gold in their mouth might help their career but for those trying to cross over and do commercials, they want to look like a star.  Personally I think all the bling and stuff is played out.  Flavor Flav was doing that 20 years ago with gold fronts.  It’s like we’ve been there done that already.  I think people now want to have a good looking smile and have nice teeth and look like a star.

Sixshot.com:  Are grills and gold fronts unhealthy?

Dr. Kosdon:  The kind that you take in and out is not bad.  It’s just something with a mold for your natural teeth.  The other ones that some people have are ones where their teeth were drilled and gold was cemented in there.  If that is not done properly you can damage your teeth.

Sixshot.com:  What’s the number one procedure that celebrities come to you for?

Dr. Kosdon:  Teeth whitening, and that’s one of the things you can get done immediately.  It takes about an hour and you walk out with super white teeth.  Second is porcelain veneers.  It’s a layer for the front of your teeth if they are crooked, chipped, short, or discolored.  Keyshia Cole had a space in her front teeth.  So we used that to close that space and make her teeth look a little bit longer.

Sixshot.com:  What negative trends do you see in the hip-hop community when it comes to caring for teeth?

Dr. Kosdon:  I would say stay away from the sugary drinks that are being marketed to the hip-hop community.  That stuff is not really great for your teeth.  So that’s one thing that really comes off the top of my head that I would get away from.

Sixshot.com:  What are some of the new trends and procedures in cosmetic dentistry?

Dr. Kosdon:  I think gum lift and porcelain veneers.  If you look at some people they have a gummy smile.  Now they can have a gum lift which will show more teeth and less gum.  Invisalign is also popular.  It's a way to straighten teeth without wearing braces and that’s taken off really well lately for us.  We take a mold for your teeth on the computer and calculate how many plastic trays you have to wear.  Every few weeks you put a new tray in and week by week your teeth gradually move into their proper position.  This is good for people in their 20’s and 30’s who don’t want to wear braces.

Sixshot.com:  Any myths you want to dispel about dentistry?

Dr. Kosdon:  I think the whole thing with people thinking that going to the dentist is painful.  That was our parent’s generation.  Now we have new techniques and going to the dentist can be something you look forward to and not a bad experience.  My office has massages for our patients and we have satellite TV’s in every room.  Our chairs massage you as you sit in them.  So people love to come into my place.  So going to the dentist doesn’t have to be a dreadful thing.

Sixshot.com:  What are some of the best over the counter products?

Dr. Kosdon:  Crest White Strips work pretty well.  GoSmile is something you can get online and over the counter to whiten teeth.  Also, Crest or Rembrandt toothpaste has whitening abilities that work pretty well.

Sixshot.com:  Are natural toothpastes and mouthwashes such as Tom’s Naturals healthier to use than some of the commercial brands? 

Dr. Kosdon:  Tom’s has a new whitening formula and there’s no alcohol in the ingredients which is really good in terms of helping out with inflammation.  A lot of the mouth rinses have alcohol in there and it's not a good thing for your gums.  You can eat also parsley and celery.  These are foods you can eat to also help naturally whiten your teeth and keep everything fresh.  Parsley is good for your breath and people also try using natural home remedies as well.

Sixshot.com:  What products do you use?

Dr. Kosdon:  I use Crest with fluoride—the whitening one.  I have porcelain veneers on my teeth so I don’t have to worry.  With veneers they always stay white and don't change colors.  I do floss twice a day and I use Listerine mouthwash.  I don’t really chew gum or anything like that and I don’t eat any candy.  But Tom’s products with no alcohol is better for you.

Sixshot.com:  Who has the best teeth in hip-hop?

Dr. Kosdon:  I like Mos Def’s smile and I like his teeth.  He's a celebrity that’s been able to cross over from hip-hop and get on the silver screen and make a career for himself.  50 Cent has one of the best smiles in hip-hop and Foxy Brown has nice teeth.

Sixshot.com:  Which celebrities have the worst smiles in Hollywood?

Dr. Kosdon:  Flavor Flav needs some dental work done with all the gold in his mouth.

Sixshot.com:  Do you have any final advice about taking care of one’s teeth?

Dr. Kosdon:  I would just stress that it’s important for people to go in for their annual check ups and see a dentist, whether its cosmetic or not.  Don't what until it's too late and then you spend more money to get it fixed.  I'm all about prevention and doing twice a year regular check-ups.  With today’s technology anyone can look like a star.  When I fix people’s teeth their confidence increases.  They get better jobs, make more money, they get married, and date people they normally wouldn’t date.  So going to the dentist is a good thing.