Did Keith Richards Have His Teeth Fixed?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Band Members,Rock n' Roll Last Updated February 1, 2023

There is hardly any part in a celebrity’s body that doesn’t go under scrutiny by millions of fans. And older pictures of Keith Richards clearly show a great need for dental work. So, did Keith Richards have his teeth fixed?

Keith Richards did get cosmetic dental surgery in 2013 to get his teeth fixed. Between a lack of proper dental care as a child, his hedonistic lifestyle, and excessive smoking, Keith Richards’ teeth required significant work.

The pressure to look picture-perfect in every aspect pushes many celebrities to undergo hundreds of painful surgeries. Fans know that being in the public eye is tough, and attaining that perfection is even more challenging.

As a result, we often come across dedicated entertainment sections that go into complete details to examine a known personality’s lifestyle.

Celebrities fall prey to this pressure, leading them to perform surgeries and correct the flaws in their appearances. From lip surgeries to teeth surgeries, it’s all a part of the appearance rectifying technique.

And Keith isn’t the only one of them. Many names like Lindsay Lohan, Niall Horan, Meghan Markle, Miley Cyrus, and many more have sought medical help to get the perfect set of teeth.

Let us find out how Keith Richards continues to attract attention despite visible errors in his dental framework.

Did Keith Richards once fix a broken tooth with superglue?

Keith Richards did use superglue once to fix his teeth. It was a trick passed onto him by Stones bandmate Ronnie Wood’s girlfriend Ana Araujo because Wood also frequently lost his porcelain cap and would fix it with dental glue which is similar but different.

The 74-year-old Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood sat down for an interview with a British newspaper, The Guardian, years ago.

The guitar player admitted to having problems with his dental constitution. So, he thought that dental makeover was his last resort. Wood’s girlfriend at the time, Ana, had some regular glue in her cupboard. Wood ended up using it, and it worked well.

When Richards heard about this trick, he was also intrigued to give it a try. But Richards being Richards, used superglue instead.

This is what Ronnie Wood told the newspaper’s interviewer:

“A couple of these have fallen. I got the superglue out. But it wasn’t superglue. It was dental glue. Keith did it with superglue once. It’s a good stand-by.”

I am not sure if this is one of the DIYs many musicians would opt for, but Richards seems to have an unusual way of keeping his teeth spick and span.

Does Keith Richards have false teeth?

Keith Richards does have some false teeth, but not all of his teeth are false. Richard’s hedonistic lifestyle and excessive smoking had some adverse effects on his dental health, which he didn’t care as much about in his younger years, but got corrected at age 69.

The Rolling Stones’ members have always been known for their larger-than-life way of living. But none of them ever showed much regard to how they looked, especially when you talk about Richards.

The band’s guitarist spent years smoking cigarettes, abusing drugs, and drinking an excess of alcohol.

Richards didn’t care much about his dental care up until the band’s Hyde Park Concert. From this point, he decided to take a little more care about his appearance.

In my personal opinion, it hardly matters whether or not Keith Richards has a false set of teeth or not. What matters is that he is trying to get back to a healthy lifestyle.

Granted, it took him a while!

The guitarist has quit smoking and cut back on drinking. Read my recent article in which I have also discussed the workout regime Keith has been following for the past few years. And if it’s true he’s a vegetarian.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Did Keith Richards have rotten teeth?

Keith Richards’ consistent heroin use blackened his teeth and caused them to decay. But fixing his teeth also eliminated the gaps seen in his photos in the 1960s through the 1990s.

Being a Rolling Stones fan myself, I can say that millions of people appreciate the impeccable music they have offered us all these years. And most of the fans don’t care how the band members look.

Almost all the existing members (we’re down to only 2 original members now) have crossed their 70s, and this is part of the aging process.

They are not getting any younger, and so, these things should hardly matter. Instead, appreciate the band for their beautiful music. And as for Richards’ appearance and his rotten teeth are concerned, fans believe that Keith Richards has always been the most good-looking band member.

His gray hair and a deeply wrinkled face do not stop reminding the music listeners of the old days of this born-to-play-rock-and-roll guitarist.

Why do so many English musicians have bad teeth?

English musicians and British citizens, in general, often have bad teeth due to inconsistent access to medical insurance and a high-sugar diet for children compared to other parts of the world.

Of course, England has socialized medicine.

So theoretically, everyone could get good dental care. But the reality with many socialized medicine systems is access to care can be difficult, and appointments may take months of waiting.

Plus, dental insurance may cover metal braces, but less obvious solutions or dental surgery is typically not covered, forcing parents or adults to pay large amounts out of pocket.

And while the unemployment rate in the UK now is under 5%, don’t forget if we go back a few decades, it was often well over 10%. That means a lot of families were “on the dole” and had very little spending money for things seen as a “luxury”. (source)

For some time, English musicians became “internationally renowned” for having terrible teeth.

A newspaper article published by the BBC mentions several reasons, including socioeconomic status affecting the dental health of most English individuals.

Another article by BBC on the same issue mentions that British people don’t care enough about teeth staining and decay, pushing the British dental standards to become globally infamous.

But dental experts like Chris Van Tulleken report that in the UK:

“it’s more about patients going for cleaning and some straightening and maintaining a natural look.” 

He also believes that while most individuals want just an improved smile, the rest want sharp white teeth. But those in the UK are less drawn to want a “Hollywood smile”. And musicians are likely to feel the same.

The dream to flash a dazzling, picture-perfect smile forces many musicians to get dental work. And why not? Their appearance is what brings them most of their money.

Take the Rolling Stones, for example, who, for the better part of over 40 years, has remained in the music industry bagging millions of dollars.

I doubt that their personality and appearance didn’t have any role to play in their success. 

Covering the band’s chronology, I also looked in detail at how the band divides their income. Read my recent article to find out what’s the most significant source of Rolling Stones’ income.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Does Mick Jagger have a diamond in his tooth?

Yes, Mick Jagger has a diamond implanted into one of his teeth. Initially, it was emerald but after numerous comments that it looked like spinach, he changed it to a ruby and finally to a diamond. 

According to the internet fan community, In the 1970s, Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger, added a green sparkle to his radiant smile by putting a small emerald gemstone in one of his front incisors.

It seemed a good choice for the frontman until he was constantly asked if he had spinach stuck in his tooth. The musicians decided to switch the gem because of the annoying comments now and then.

The emerald was replaced with his small ruby’s birthstone until he became tired of people telling him that the ruby looked more like a spot of blood on his teeth.

Jagger finally chose to get a small diamond implanted, which added extra colorless bling to his smile.

One of the fans says:

“With all the gem-colored choices in the world, Mick Jagger, well known for his big lips and expressive gestures, had to settle with just a simple sparkle.”

KEITH RICHARDS' EVOLUTION 1962-2020 | Stones Guitar Songs, Album, Aging

Conclusion

Keith Richards has been the driving force behind the Rolling Stones’ success for all these years.

As much as Keith Richards’ productive career has been a hot topic of discussion, many have investigated his lifestyle for years too. His fans even observe the star’s unusually youthful smile.

Knowing that Keith has had a long drug addiction, his pearly white teeth tell a different story. The consistent use of drugs loosened the musician’s veneers, and he tried fixing it with superglue once.

But ultimately, he had to find a dentist to get the job done.

Photo which requires attribution:

StonesLondon220518-52 by Raph_PH is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text and graphic overlay added.

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