Did Kanye West Have His Teeth Removed?

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Uncertainty remains surrounding the release date for Vultures, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s forthcoming joint album. According to Forbes, the new (but probably not final, given how this rollout has gone thus far) expected release date is February 9. In the meantime, to the surprise of absolutely no one, speculation has shifted to a bizarre rumor about Ye.

Did Kanye West Have His Teeth Removed?

OK, so stay with me here.

On Wednesday, January 17, Ye posted a close-up photo of what appeared to be some sort of grill compared to Jaws from the James Bond franchise. It’s far from unusual for people to get custom grills, but The Daily Mail reported that West “has had all his teeth removed and replaced with titanium dentures,” which are rumored to have cost $850,000.

The tabloid cited Dr. Thomas Connelly as having done the procedure. Connelly told The Daily Mail, “Ye was a pleasure to work with every step of the process. 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!”

Kanye West grills
@kanyewest on Instagram Story
Kanye West grills
@kanyewest on Instagram Story

On Wednesday, Complex refuted The Daily Mail‘s claim that Ye’s teeth were removed, using the same source as The Daily Mail, as excerpted below:

“Many on social media assumed that Ye had his teeth removed to install the new dentistry. According to a source, that’s not quite what happened. Ye had a procedure done called fixed prosthodontics where the grills, which were designed by Ye alongside his doctor and made of titanium, palladium, platinum, and other precious metals, are fixed to his teeth. Dentist Thomas Connelly, who worked with Ye on the procedure, also confirmed to Complex that the artist’s teeth are all still there, if you were wondering. ‘He did not have his teeth removed,’ Connelly, who has worked with other celebrities in the past, said. ‘He still has a full dentition. Healthy and happy.’