The world of hip hop could be set for yet another new fashion, with the news that a new kind of 'bling' is gaining in popularity.

After years of musicians, such as Nelly and Kanye West, and fans cramming their mouth with gold, platinum and diamond in the form of grills, there appears to be a growing trend back towards shiny, sparkling teeth, in a more natural approach to bling.

Atlanta Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, which is frequently consulted by Time Magazine, Vogue and the Wall Street Journal for trends in cosmetic dentistry, predicts that a dazzling white smile could be the new white gold.

The centre's Dr Richard Creasman explained that the growing crossover between hip hop and film is helping to fuel the trend, with stars realising that they can get more roles if they have a more natural smile.

"We are now helping large a number of R&B artists and rappers that have come to have these same grills removed and replaced with beautiful new porcelain veneers," he said.

However, the dentist also reckoned there could be a less credible reason behind the move. Dentists have always warned about the damage caused by grills, which have been blamed for bite problems, irritated gums, tooth decay or even bone loss.

Because many fans have opted for cheaper mass-market grills, they also often wear models that are a poor fit, fuelling long-term dental problems and eventually forcing many wearers to abandon their oral bling.

Despite the centre's claims, many are sceptical that hip hop really is about to end its love affair with grills. According to Hip Hop DX, there are no indications that the metal tooth jewellery is going anywhere just yet, having been on the hip hop scene since the early days.

Many hip hop artists are deeply attached to their grills, using the bling to reinforce their identity. Nelly is such a fan that he even penned a quasi-love letter, Grillz. "Rob the jewelry store and tell 'em make me a grill," sung the rapper. "Add da whole top diamond and the bottom row's gold.

"Got 30 down at the bottom, 30 mo at the top. All invisible set in little ice cube blocks
If I could call it a drink, call it a smile on da rocks. If I could call out a price, let's say I call out a lot. I got like platinum and white gold, traditional gold. I'm changin grillz errday, like Jay change clothes."