Why ‘grills’ can give you a honking breath: As Kanye West ‘replaces his teeth with $850,000 titanium band,’ dentists warn of side effects from trends like Rita Ora, Rihanna and Katy Perry

Kanye West showed off his stunning new teeth today, with the controversial rapper reportedly replacing them all with $850,000 titanium dentures.

Ye proudly showed off his new metallic smile in an Instagram post, comparing his appearance to iconic James Bond villain Jaws.

Yet sources close to the star say the 46-year-old hasn’t actually ‘replaced’ his teeth and that his striking titanium grin is just an elaborate dental prosthetic.

Essentially, this means that Kanye’s titanium “teeth” are just an extreme “grill”: a fixed, decorative cover that sits over the teeth.

In recent years, the likes of Rita Ora, Rihanna and Madonna have all worn such dental jewelry, with stars wearing statement jewels or precious metals on their teeth, sometimes covering the entire visible surface in an ostentatious display of wealth.

Kanye’s new titanium mouthpiece falls at the extreme end and comes ahead of the release of a new collaboration 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 associated with a striking smile.

Dr. MJ Rowland-Warmann, chief medical officer at private practice Smileworks Liverpool, said the prospect of Kanye having his healthy teeth removed for an artificial titanium set was ‘shocking’.

“Once you cut or remove teeth, they don’t grow back,” she said, saying the work was “aggressive” and that the the long-term consequences would not be ‘insignificant’.

She said that to support this titanium implant the deeper structural integrity of the tooth would have been compromised in some way.

“Once you have an implant placed and it later fails, it takes away the bone and makes further replacement work more expensive, complicated and invasive,” she said.

“It’s shocking that anyone would enjoy removing someone’s teeth 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 was instead fitted with an artificial covering or ‘grill’, carries the risk of it becoming a ‘plaque trap’.

Dr. Rowland-Warmann said this buildup of bacteria can lead to “tooth decay, smelly breath and gum disease.”

Grills/grillz are decorative coverings for teeth, usually made from a base of gold or other precious metal, which can then be left plain or encrusted with jewels such as diamonds.

While most examples are covers that can be snapped on and off the tooth(s) as needed, some snap on directly with a special dental adhesive.

But this flashy look is not without risk.

In addition to the risk of the devices becoming a ‘plaque trap’, Dr Rowland-Warmann warned that if not fitted properly they can pose a choking hazard and erode the protective coating of your teeth.

Dr. Richard Marques, clinical director of international dental chain Impress, also highlighted the dangers of grills like Kanye’s.

“They can cause problems with cleaning the teeth and can attract plaque, which can cause tooth decay underneath,” he said.

‘This will then lead to other oral health complications such as bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease.

‘Additionally, the adhesive used to insert the “grills” may contain harmful chemicals that will also cause further damage to your teeth and gums.’

He added that if patients still want to have a grill, they should be very careful about their oral hygiene and visit the dentist more often for checkups.

Kanye isn’t the only star to delve into the world of grills and dental decor.

Singer Rita Ora had a red gemstone flashed on her incisor in Los Angeles in 2022.

Pop star Rihanna is also known to wear a gold grille on her pearly whites.

Madonna has also shown off both diamond and gold versions of the devices on several occasions.

Grills gained their modern popularity among R&B and rap musicians, with stars like Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown previously playing them on nights out.

Other stars who have worn grills include Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

Even members of Kanye’s family have worn them too.

His daughter North West, who he had with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, showed off her sparkling grill on the same day he unveiled his new $850,000 set.

Posted to the 10-year-old’s TikTok account that she shares with her mother, the clip featured a close-up of the dental jewelry.

Kim herself is no stranger to dental jewelry, having shown off her own jewelry on social media in the past.