Entering into Lando Golds feels like walking into an eccentric dentist’s office.
Dental molds, metallic wiring, scraps of paper with little drawings and designs are everywhere in the small storefront in Liberty City, which for 40 years has been a cultural staple for anyone looking for a set of grillz.
The owner, Orlando Plein, is the brother of the iconic creator and originator of removable pull-out grillz, Eddie Plein. Eddie, who is featured in the book “Mouth Full of Golds,” started his business in New York and later opened Famous Eddie’s Gold Teeth in Atlanta.
Grillz are decorative dental jewelry, either removable or permanent. They’re made by molding the teeth, then shaping metals like gold or silver to fit. Eddie pioneered the “pull-out” or removable style of grillz that fit over the teeth while he was living in New York in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He became the go-to guy for grillz for famous rappers like Flavor Flav and Just-Ice. Eddie eventually went on to teach his brother, who later passed the skills on to his own son…