Kanye West is a trendsetter who just got himself a set of bespoke grills surgically attached to his natural teeth and crafted from titanium, redefining the concept of bling in the realm of mouth jewelry.
The metallic mouthpiece, reportedly made of titanium, palladium, platinum, and other precious metals, was fashioned after the character Jaws, a villain from two early James Bond films — 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” and 1979’s “Moonraker.”
Fans went crazy when the “College Dropout” posted a photo of his new fangs on his Instagram Stories. After he shared his new metallic smile, he also posted a screenshot of a Google search for the Bond villain.
Many believed the rapper removed his real teeth and replaced them with titanium ones. However, that was later determined to be an internet rumor.
Dentist Thomas Connelly, the Beverly Hills physician who installed the grills through a procedure called fixed prosthodontics that bound them to Ye’s teeth, set the record straight in a comment to Complex.
“He did not have his teeth removed. He still has a full dentition. Healthy and happy,” Connelly said. He further described the procedure on his Instagram page.
“We have a custom Proclaim device that was co-fabricated with access areas for flushing interproximal,” Connelly explained. “The fixed prosthesis was fabricated to mimic his exact occlusion and envelope of function. His phonetics are perfect. The prosthesis respects all aspects of dental technology, including function and clean-ability. No teeth were removed.
While he still has his original teeth, the next thing that people are wondering about is how much of his massive wealth was spent on them. It is said that the dental floss all cost the star $850,000 of his estimated $400 million net worth.
One purported source said the mixed metal denture set was “more expensive than diamonds,” according to the Daily Mail.
Social media thought his decision to spend so much on the grills was silly, comparing his teeth to a childhood pastime.
“I thought he had a gum wrapper on his teeth,” one person tweeted. Another cosigned, writing, “This what I use to do in middle school with gum wrappers.”
One suggested that he could have saved a lot of money and just bought “a packet for $2.”
An X user hilariously posted, “@kanyewest ain’t doing sh-t that we didn’t do back in the 90s and the 00s wit foil and gum wrapper lol.”
@kanyewest ain't doing shit that we didn't do back in the 90s and the 00s wit foil and gum wrapper lol #MeasurementsOfExcellence #ThePeoplesBartender pic.twitter.com/PqefPqKsJ7
— You ain't gotta lie on here. We don't give a fck (@vivalakneegrows) January 18, 2024
Remarkably, West is spending his money on fake teeth while fighting many lawsuits and seemingly in debt.
The designer faces a tax burden exceeding $1 million, with Yeezy Apparel, LLC, accumulating four active tax liens in the past three years. Unsettled business taxes amount to $934,033.56.
Moreover, records also indicate an additional $101,093 owed in property taxes on two homes owned jointly with his ex-wife.
West has not spoken out about his debt.
