The artist formerly known as Kanye West has a new metallic look.
A source close to Ye confirmed that the artist was inspired by Dr. Thomas Connelly, a dentist from Beverly Hills, California, had a metal “fixed prosthesis” installed.
“They are, as the name suggests, strong and permanent. This goes far beyond veneers or grilles,” the source added. “And his special implant is completely different than anything that has been done before.”
In posts to his Instagram Story on January 17, Ye shared a glimpse of his new metallic teeth.
Metallic teeth in Kanye West's mouth (Kanye West / Instagram)
The source said that the implants were “experimental dentistry to say the least” and were “entirely designed by Ye with the assistance of medical and dental experts, including Dr. Connelly”.
They certainly made it clear that the singer's teeth were not removed.
silver metallic teeth on black background (Kanye West / Instagram)
The implants are made of titanium and other precious metals, “including palladium and platinum in various locations, depending on the required properties of different 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 installation is expected to be approximately $850,000.
Ye has previously performed extensive dental work. In 2010, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and told the host that he had replaced his entire lower 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 treatment in the segment appeared to show that the rapper's teeth were still intact beneath the diamond and gold facade.
“I always used to clean my jewelry with toothpaste anyway to keep it working,” he chuckled, adding that he constantly had to go to the dentist “just to take care of it.”
“I mean, it's just certain things that rock stars are supposed to do, you know?” he said.
“Oh, I didn’t realize that,” DeGeneres replied.
In 2022, Ye was temporarily banned from Twitter and Instagram for posting anti-Semitic posts. The artist eventually returned to the platforms and most recently uploaded photos of his alleged wife Bianca Censori. Ye now has four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com