Kanye West today showed off his blingy new teeth, with the controversial rapper allegedly replacing them all with $850k (£670k) titanium dentures.
Ye proudly flashed his new metallic smile in an Instagram post, in which he likened his look to the iconic James Bond villain Jaws.
Yet sources close to the star say the 46-year-old actually hasn’t ‘replaced’ his teeth and his flashy titanium grin is merely an expansive dental prosthetic.
In essence, it means Kanye’s titanium ‘teeth’ are merely an extreme ‘grill’ – a fixed, decorative cover that sit over teeth.
Over the past few years, the likes of Rita Ora, Rihanna and Madonna have all worn such dental jewellery, with stars sporting flashy jewels or precious metals on their teeth, sometimes covering the entirety of the visible surface in a gaudy display of wealth.
Kanye West has claimed he has had all his teeth removed and replaced with titanium dentures in his latest shock move
In an exclusive photo obtained by DailyMail.com, West’s lavish new dentures – which a source revealed are ‘more expensive than diamonds’ – were shown
UK dentists said they were ‘shocked’ at the prospect of Kanye having removed his healthy teeth to replace them with a titanium band
Kanye’s new titanium mouthpiece falls at the extreme end and comes ahead of the release of a new collab album with Ty Dolla $ign called ‘Vultures’, leading some to suspect it is a publicity stunt.
Dentists have long warned about the potential dangers of grills, revealing how they can cause bad breath to go along with eye-catching smile.
Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann, lead clinician for private practice Smileworks Liverpool, said the prospect of Kanye having his healthy teeth removed for an artificial titanium set was ‘shocking’.
‘Once you cut into or remove teeth, they don’t grow back,’ she said, stating the work was ‘aggressive’ and the long-term implications would not be ‘insignificant’.
She said to support this titanium implant the deeper structural integrity of the tooth would have had to be compromised in some way.
‘Once you place an implant, if that fails further down the line, it takes with bone and further replacement work becomes more costly, complicated and invasive,’ she said.
‘It is shocking that someone would entertain taking someone’s teeth out this way, just because they can pay for it.’
The dentist added that even the less radical option, where instead of replacing his teeth, Kanye instead got an artificial cover, or ‘grill’, it carries risks of it becoming a ‘plaque-trap’.
Dr Rowland-Warmann said this build-up of bacteria could lead to ‘tooth decay, smelly breath, and gum disease’.
Grills/grillz are decorative covers for teeth, typically made of a gold or other precious metal base which can then be left plain or encrusted in jewels like diamonds.
While most examples are covers that can be snapped on and off the tooth/teeth as needed some are adhered directly with a special dental adhesive.
But this flashy look isn’t risk free.
In addition to risks of the devices becoming a ‘plaque-trap’, Dr Rowland-Warmann warned that, if improperly fitted, they can be a choking hazard and wear down the protective coating of your teeth.
Dr Richard Marques, clinical director of the international dental chain Impress, also highlighted the dangers of grills like Kanye’s.
The star compared his new look to James Bond villain Jaws, played by Richard Kiel in the movies The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker
Kanye has previously worn grills before, showing off a diamond-encrusted set on his lower row of teeth on social media
‘They can cause problems with teeth cleaning and can attract plaque, which can cause decay underneath,’ he said.
‘This will then lead to other oral health complications such as bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease.
‘In addition to this, the glue that is used to insert the “grills” could contain harmful chemicals that will cause further damage to your teeth and gums too.’
He added that if patients still wanted to get a grill they should be very careful with their oral hygiene and see a dentists more frequently for check-ups.
Kanye isn’t the only star to dive into the world of grills and tooth decoration.
Singer Rita Ora flashed a red gem on her incisor in Los Angeles in 2022.
Pop star Rihanna has also been known to wear a gold grill on her pearly whites.
Madonna has also sported both diamond and gold versions of the devices on various occasions.
Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West, 10, showed off her sparkling grill in a new TikTok video montage shared to their joint account on Wednesday
However, North isn’t the only one who has sported a grill in the Kardashian family – with Kim showing off her own dental jewelry in the past
Turning heads: Rita Ora flashed a tooth gem as she attended Zack Bia’s party at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood in 2022
And Rita wore another full grill on her lower teeth back in 2019
Justin Bieber is among the stars that have sported a grill previously
Miley Cyrus is another star to opt in for flashy tooth accessories, posting a selfie of her wearing as set in the bathtub in 2021
Madonna, pictured here at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, has worn a grill on numerous occasions
The Queen of pop sported another grill in a social media post in September 2022
Katy Perry wore this example of grill, which spelt out the word ‘Roar’ at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013
Grills got their modern popularisation amongst R&B and rap musicians, with stars like Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown previously sporting them on nights out.
Other stars that have worn grills include the likes of Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber.
Even members of Kanye’s family have also sported them.
His daughter North West, who he had with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, showed off her sparkling grill on the same day as he unveiled his new $850k set.
Posted on the 10-year-old’s TikTok account that she shares with her mother the clip featured a close-up of the dental jewellery.
Kim is no stranger to dental jewellery herself, having shown off her own in social media snaps in the past.
