How to clean and care for your grillz

If you only remember one thing from this guide, let it be this: your grillz need the same daily attention as your teeth. Custom grillz from Grillz Toronto sit directly against your enamel and gum line for hours at a time, so food debris, saliva and plaque build up on them exactly the way they would on a natural tooth. The fix is straightforward — rinse after every wear, brush gently once a day with a soft toothbrush and a mild, non-abrasive soap, soak weekly in warm water, and store them bone-dry in a hard case. Skip toothpaste, mouthwash soaks, boiling water, ultrasonic jewellery cleaners and chlorine-based dips; all of them can dull metal, loosen stones, or eat away at plating on non-solid pieces.

This routine applies whether you're wearing a single solid silver tooth or a full iced set from our styles lineup. The metal changes a little of the detail, but the core habits stay the same.

Grillz are removable, which is one of their biggest advantages over anything bonded or permanent, but that same convenience means they can quietly collect bacteria if you let them. A grill creates a closed, warm micro-environment against your teeth and gums. Any food particles or plaque trapped underneath have hours to sit there uninterrupted, which can lead to bad breath, a filmy taste in your mouth, gum irritation, and in the long run, staining or discolouration of the enamel underneath. None of this is unique to custom grillz — it's the same reason dentists tell you to clean a retainer or a night guard — but it matters more with grillz because people tend to wear them out, at events, or for hours on end.

The good news is that none of this is caused by the metal itself. A well-made, custom-moulded grill from Grillz Toronto doesn't damage healthy teeth (see our full breakdown in do grillz damage your teeth?); it's neglect, not design, that causes problems. A two-minute routine is all it takes to avoid them.

Treat this like brushing your own teeth — because that's effectively what it is.

• Rinse immediately after wear. As soon as you take your grillz out, run them under cool or lukewarm water to flush off surface saliva and loose debris before it dries on.
• Brush gently, once a day minimum. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush — a spare one, not the one you use on your teeth — with a small amount of mild, unscented dish soap or a non-abrasive hand soap. Avoid toothpaste: most toothpastes contain mild abrasives designed to polish enamel, and those same abrasives will scratch soft metals like silver and gold, and can dull moissanite over time.
• Pay attention to the inside. The inner surface, which sits against your teeth, is where plaque accumulates fastest. Angle the brush to reach the inner wall of each cap, not just the visible front.
• Rinse thoroughly and dry. Soap residue left on metal can look cloudy once it dries, so give your grillz a final clean-water rinse and pat them dry with a soft, lint-free cloth before putting them away.

On top of the daily rinse-and-brush, give your grillz a deeper soak about once a week, more often if you wear them daily or for long stretches.

• Fill a small bowl with warm — not hot — water and a single drop of mild dish soap.
• Let your grillz sit for five to ten minutes to loosen any buildup the daily brushing has missed.
• Gently brush again after the soak, focusing on seams, the underside of stones if you have an iced set, and any engraved detail.
• Rinse under running water until no soap residue remains, then dry completely before storing.

Avoid hot or boiling water at every stage. Heat can warp the fit of a grill, particularly on thinner solid-metal pieces, and it can loosen the setting on stones. If your grillz ever start to feel loose or don't sit the way they did when they were made, get in touch through contact rather than trying to reshape them yourself.

The routine above works across the board, but a few details differ by material.

Solid 925 silver ($90/tooth) is durable but can tarnish over time with exposure to air and saliva, which is normal for sterling silver. A soft polishing cloth made for silver, used occasionally and only on the outside surface, will bring the shine back without affecting the fit.

Dental chrome or gold-tone ($110/tooth) pieces have a plated or tone-finished surface. Be extra gentle here — avoid any abrasive brushing or polishing compounds, since repeated scrubbing can wear through a thin surface finish faster than it would on solid metal.

10K, 14K and 18K gold ($320–$540/tooth) are the most forgiving to clean and naturally resist tarnish, but softer, higher-karat gold like 18K marks more easily, so stick to the soft-brush routine and skip any polishing cloth that isn't specifically gold-safe.

Whatever metal or karat you're wearing, colour — white, yellow or rose — makes no difference to how you clean it, and all karats are priced the same at the same purity. See the full breakdown on our pricing page.

Iced pieces — moissanite starting at $180/tooth, or iced gold from $450/tooth — need the same gentle daily and weekly routine, with one extra layer of care around the stones. Use a very soft-bristled brush and light pressure around each setting; scrubbing hard at a prong or bezel can gradually loosen a stone over months of wear. Never soak iced grillz in anything other than warm water with a touch of mild soap, and skip ultrasonic cleaners entirely — the vibration that's safe for solid gold jewellery can work stones loose in a grill setting.

If you ever notice a stone feels wiggly or a prong looks bent, stop wearing that piece and reach out before the stone works its way out completely. It's a quick repair when caught early. You can browse the full range of iced looks, including custom stone layouts, on our grillz styles page or build your own in the customiser.

How you store your grillz between wears matters almost as much as how you clean them. Always let your grillz dry completely before putting them away — sealing any moisture inside a closed case encourages bacteria growth and can accelerate tarnish, especially on silver. Use a hard case rather than a loose pouch or your pocket; a dropped or crushed grill can bend out of shape, and because every piece is custom-moulded to your teeth, a bent grill may no longer sit the way it should.

Keep your case somewhere dry and at room temperature — avoid leaving grillz in a hot car, a steamy bathroom, or anywhere with direct sunlight for long periods, since heat is the main enemy of both fit and stone settings. If you're travelling, pack your grillz case in your carry-on rather than checked luggage, both for safekeeping and because temperature swings in cargo holds aren't ideal for them.

A few habits cause most of the problems we see, and all of them are easy to fix once you know about them.

• Sleeping or eating in your grillz. Always take them out to eat and to sleep — this alone prevents the majority of staining and gum irritation issues.
• Cleaning with toothpaste. It's abrasive and formulated for enamel, not metal or stones.
• Using mouthwash as a soak. Alcohol-based mouthwash can dry out and discolour some finishes over repeated use.
• Letting them sit dirty for days. The longer debris sits, the harder it is to remove without scrubbing, which is what causes scratches.
• DIY polishing with household abrasives. Baking soda, metal polish not rated for fine jewellery, or anything gritty will scratch soft metals and stones.

Good habits here pair naturally with good oral hygiene generally — brush and floss your own teeth before putting your grillz back in, and drink water rather than sugary or acidic drinks while wearing them.

Routine cleaning is something every client can handle at home, but a few situations are worth a message rather than a guess. If a grill ever feels looser than it did when you picked it up, if a stone shifts or a prong bends, or if you notice an edge has become rough or sharp, stop wearing that piece and contact us — most of these are quick fixes when addressed early, and trying to adjust a grill yourself can change the fit permanently.

We work with clients across the GTA, from our studio in downtown Toronto to home visits as far as Mississauga, and we can walk through care questions over email or WhatsApp any time. See the full process from mould to finished grill on our how it works page, or reach us directly through contact — email contact@grillz-toronto.com or message us on WhatsApp.