Keepin' it Grill: Kanye West's Diamond Teeth Controversy

kuepin' tt grill KANYE WEST AND HIS DIAMOND TEETH CONTROVERSY "i just thought that diamonds were cooler...I guess there's just certain things that rock stars are supposed to do." Living up to his rock star persona, Kanye West is causing more than just a stir with A $60,000 his brand new set of diamond teeth. Did he really have his bottom row plucked and diamonds implanted in their place? Or does he want people to believe he did? We weigh the arguments. the reported cost of a row of diamond teeth. "Diamonds are forever. They won't leave in the night." The longevity and strength of diamonds is possibly why West chose the gemstones to replace his teeth. 'YE ON "DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE." HARDNESS TOUGHNESS On the 1–10 mineral hardness scale, diamonds Next to diamonds concrete is about as tough as potato chips. have a hardness of 10. They maintain an impeccable polish and can only be scratched by other diamonds. HARDNES SCALE Toughness of Toughness 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 natural diamond: of concrete: 2.0 MPa-m1/2 0.2 - 1.4 MPa-m1/2 "When you're this hot, everybody's a critic." FROM THE TRACK "LOOKING FOR TROUBLE." Kanye West is no stranger to controversy and even seems to court it. Some theories behind the debate the rapper inspired: IT'S POSSIBLE A IT'S NOT POSSIBLE Why not? He's had dental problems ever since getting into a car crash years ago and even though his top teeth were cosmetically replaced, the bottom row showed signs of rotting. Dr. Emanuel Layliev of the New York Center for Cosmetic Dentistry is unconvinced West yanked his teeth out and replaced them with diamonds: "There's no way you can just place the gold into the gum or the bone without any connection to your natural teeth." A TITANIUM DIAMOND BRIDGE A few think it's possible that West did have his teeth surgically removed, Many suspect that the truth is much less painful but substituted them with titanium and that he simply put removable diamond encrusted implants and then had the "bling" built on top. It would take months for the implants to set. crowns over his natural teeth. Another related hypothesis assumes that West whittled down his chompers to support a diamond bridge. "I think he has some custom-made gold crowns with diamonds inserted in them" –Dr. Ernie Abramson, cosmetic dentist to rappers Nelly and Chingy. SOURCES: Entertainment Weekly.com Gemmology," Butterworth-Heinemann. WorldBookand News.com Styleite.com