Rapper Nelly’s tribute song to mouth jewelry may have opened the eyes and mouths of nationwide listeners, but grills are hardly a new trend — even in the Midwest.

Rich with history, grills have re-emerged into the mainstream. This time, the gilded mouth guards have secured a spot in retail. Proving profitable to businesses and often costly to clients, grills are crossing boundaries and raising more questions than how long the fad will last.

Grills — known as fronts, plates, shines, pull outs and caps — first graced the mouths of the ancient Mayans, who rocked the flashy fronts for reasons beyond fashion. Dental modification was a symbol of strength, status and devotion to deities, says Alicia Cardenas, cultural liaison for the Association of Professional Piercers.

The association as a status symbol stayed with grills when the jewelry hit the East coast in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Rappers like Flavor Flav and LL Cool J dazzled the scene, making grills a hip-hop must-have. In the ‘90s, the Midwest began boasting bling.

“The KC area has always been saturated with grills,” says Adrian Grey, KC Gold Fronts owner, “There’s a large market here.”

And that market is growing. After KC Gold Fronts opened its doors in 1998, Diamonds & Diamonds, another grill store, opened in 2000. Both stores are located in Bannister Mall, 5600 E. Bannister Rd, Kansas City, Mo.

Topeka also will boast a shine shop as soon as this summer, says Marshall Banks, freelance grill maker. Banks currently works out his of Topeka home and says he’s already done 15 grills this year.

The grill business isn’t just booming in Kansas. Grills are going wild across the nation, especially on the Internet. Web sites such as mrbling.com and rapper Paul Wall’s TVjohnny.net are popping up to cash in on the craze. The leading site for grills, gangstagold.com, gets more than 70,000 hits a month. And David Abrams, production manager for goldteethusa.com says since Nelly’s “Grillz” hit the radio, he’s seen a 30 percent increase in business.

“I should write Nelly a thank-you note,” he says. “Thank God for that song.”

While the average amount spent on a grill is about $200, according to ganstagold.com owner Christy Velez, Nelly’s extravagant anthem has people springing for more. Instead of the classic 14-karat gold front that covers four teeth, people are now splurging for fanged, jewel-encrusted or engraved caps that cover six teeth, both top and bottom.

To get his initials, a blue sapphire and 1.5 diamond set on his shines, Darryl Johnson, 21, shelled out an extra $150.

Abel Frederic, Ottawa University senior, paid more than $1,200 for his eight-set, top and bottom, 24K gold grill.

And the going rate for 22-year-old Michael Weber’s full platinum set falls around $1,500.

Besides the increase in volume and cost, there’s also been a change in clientele Abrams says. Caucasians, females and professionals have bought grills before, but more and more are springing for plates now, he says. Reasons for the crossover are more style-driven, says Kevin Coffey, fashion assistant for hip-hop magazine XXL. Kids are buying them without knowing what they represent, he says.

“I saw a kid checking out an AC/DC CD wearing a gold front,” Coffey says. “He didn’t know anything about grills. He said he only got one because of Nelly’s song.”

True to its beginnings, grills are more than just a fashion statement. Grills are signs of financial status, says Frederic, whose $1,200 set represents his success as a T-shirt entrepreneur. Wearing a grill isn’t so much about having money as it is about earning that money, he says. Frederic’s first grill was two gold caps, for which he scrimped and saved $60.

Grills also symbolize the hip-hop culture, says grill wearer Johnson.

“It used to be a hood thing,” Johnson says. “You could tell how hardcore someone was by it.” He says that the fading of grills from a neighborhood-representing tradition takes away from hip-hop.

Johnson says he hopes the fad fades as such. But he doubts grills will ever be a thing of the past.