The 'Monet of Molars' Continues to Create and Inspire

It’s fair to say Ron Grant is a pioneer of tooth tattoos, painting his first one in the early 1980s for his mother who requested a simple heart on a crown he was fabricating for her. (He made the heart pink because there was no brilliant red stain, which led to his development of porcelains especially for this purpose; see image below.)

Once his dentist-clients heard of this novelty service, word traveled quickly and he had more and more requests. Now, not only does he add his creativity to the restorations he makes for dentist-clients, he also has other laboratories sending him completed crowns to tattoo. Nearly 40 years after that first pink heart, his artwork adorns dental work in countless mouths around the country.

And he doesn’t expect the demand to die down anytime soon. Dubbed the “Monet of Molars,” Grant has been featured on national TV and radio and consumer magazines (and, of course in LMT, first in 1998!). “In spite of our diligence...