Grammy-winning singer LeAnn Rimes is shedding light on a painful and ongoing dental journey that began in her teenage years and continues to impact her today, both personally and professionally. In a revealing interview with Flow Space, the 42-year-old artist opened up about the long-term complications she faced after getting veneers as a teenager.
What began as a cosmetic enhancement quickly turned into a chronic health issue, leaving her in pain for years. Recalling old photographs from that period, Rimes noted how much her appearance had changed. “My face was so different,” she said. “Swollen. Oh, it was awful.”
She went on to describe the extent of her suffering. “I was in chronic pain for, like, two-and-a-half years,” Rimes revealed, attributing the issue to poorly bonded veneers from a dental procedure gone wrong. The damage led to multiple root canals and several oral surgeries over the years, according to Us Weekly.
Her struggles didn’t stay behind the scenes. Just last month, Rimes had a highly unexpected and very public dental mishap during a live performance that left fans stunned — and her scrambling on stage. “So last night, I was on stage in the middle of ‘One Way Ticket,’ [and] I feel something pop in my mouth,” Rimes said in a June Instagram video.
“And if you’ve been around, you know I’ve had a lot of dental surgeries, and I have a bridge in the front. It fell out in the middle of my song last night.” The singer didn’t hide her reaction. “I panicked,” she admitted. “I just had to get real with everybody and tell them exactly what was happening, or else I would have had to walk off stage.”
Rather than end the show, Rimes continued to perform despite the setback. “For the rest of the show, I had to keep pushing my teeth back into place every couple of lines,” she shared. Surprisingly, she called it “the most epic experience ever.”
Though Rimes has performed countless times over her decades-long career, this particular moment stood out. “I don’t usually have firsts,” she said. “But that incident was a first and hopefully a last.”
To those who’ve experienced similar moments of public embarrassment, Rimes offered heartfelt encouragement: “In case anybody has an issue on stage ever and feels embarrassed by it, just watch this video again and it will remind you that the show can go on in the midst of sheer, utter embarrassment.”