Kanye West's 'titanium teeth' are permanent, rep says

The artist formerly known as Kanye West has a new metallic look.

A representative of Ye initially confirmed to TODAY.com on Jan. 18 that the performer got "titanium dentures" installed recently by Dr. Thomas Connelly, a Beverly Hills, California, based dentist. On Friday, a rep clarified that they are "permanent titanium teeth."

A separate source close to Ye elaborated that the artist got new metal "fixed prosthodontics."

"They are, as the name suggests, fixed and permanent. This goes way beyond veneers or grills," the source added. "And his particular implant is quite unlike anything that has been done before."

In posts to his Instagram story on Jan. 17, Ye shared a glimpse of his new metallic teeth.

The source said the implants are "experimental dentistry to say the least" and were designed "entirely by Ye with the assistance of medical and dental experts including Dr. Connelly."

They were sure to clarify that the singer did not have his teeth removed.

The implants are made of titanium and other precious metals, "including palladium and platinum in various places according to the properties required of various elements," the source said.

In another post to his Instagram story, Ye compared his new look to James Bond henchman Jaws, who appeared in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" and was played by actor Richard Kiel.

The total cost of the install is rumored to be around $850,000.

Ye has previously done elaborate dental work. In 2010, he appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and told the host he'd replaced his entire bottom row of teeth with diamond and gold implants.

"I just thought the diamonds were cooler," he told DeGeneres as the audience laughed. A close up of Ye's dental work in the segment appeared to show that the rapper's teeth were still intact under the diamond and gold façade.

"I used to always clean my jewelry with toothpaste anyway so it works out," he chuckled, adding he has to go to the dentist "all the time just to maintain it."

"I mean, it's just certain stuff that rock stars are supposed to do, you know?" he said.

"Oh, I did not realize that," DeGeneres responded.

In 2022, Ye was temporarily suspended from Twitter and Instagram for posting antisemitic posts. The artist eventually returned to platforms, and has most recently been uploading photos of his rumored wife Bianca Censori. Ye, meanwhile, shares four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com