Ye is reportedly proudly and publicly rocking titanium dentures.
Constructed and fitted by cosmetic dentist Naoki Hayashi and Dr. Thomas Connelly, Ye reportedly had all of his teeth knocked out and replaced them with titanium dentures that allegedly cost a whopping $850,000, according to the Daily Mail.
“Ye was a pleasure to work with every step of the process,” Connelly told the outlet. “His vision for designing unique art transcends the dental progression. The marriage of his vision with dental science has created a new look that is epic!”
Ye is no stranger to metal in his mouth, having flashed his diamond and gold implants to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in 2010. He revealed he had the bottom row of his teeth removed and replaced.
While social media users debate about how the $850,000 titanium dentures look in Ye’s mouth, professionals are more concerned about the health risk it imposes.
Dr. Sam Koh from Dental Boutique spoke with the Daily Mail about the “Hurricane” rapper’s new choppers and how the lack of extensive care could bring many issues like infections.
“Although it has been reported that the dentist has given him equipment to help clean his teeth, such as a bulky one-piece appliance, it is going to be hard to clean,” Dr. Koh explained. “Microscopically, there will be a lot of food, bacteria, and debris getting underneath the titanium, which can then cause a lot of bad breath, sensitivity, tooth decay, and gum issues such as disease and infection if the titanium is there long term.”
Claims of Ye removing all of his teeth for this chunky piece of metal seemed unbelievable to many, including Koh, who theorized that the rapper shaved down his teeth and conglutinated the titanium to them.
The cosmetic dentist said that Ye could be susceptible to tooth decay once his teeth began to move over time. The glue would deteriorate, and microgaps would happen, where bacteria and decay would form.
“This would then result in either the bridge coming loose over time, or much worse, dental decay, infection and disease with the bacteria able to then get inside the teeth,” he said.
If Ye didn’t remove his teeth, then the potential decay could potentially exacerbate and force him to undergo root canals and have his teeth removed. Koh added that Ye’s new cosmetic feature could impact his facial structure and how he performs as a rapper.
In 2011, Ye went on the Ellen DeGeneres show to flaunt his diamond-encrusted teeth, claiming they were real and that he knocked out his teeth to get them installed.
“It’s really my real teeth,” he said. “I replaced my bottom row of teeth…there’s just certain things that rock stars are supposed to do.”
