Elliott Yamin Gets a Dental Makeover

American Idol: Season 5 Forum

FRIDAY DECEMBER 08, 2006 02:40PM EST

By Jenny Sundel

Goodbye to the nickname "Snaggletooth." Thanks to $50,000 worth of porcelain veneers and other dental work, and 20 sometimes-painful hours in the dentist's chair to fix his crossbite, American Idol underdog Elliott Yamin can't seem to wipe the smile off his face, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

"He loves to laugh, he loves to smile," says girlfriend Jaime Paetz, 28, a model who met Yamin, also 28, after he appeared on the FOX talent hunt this season. "I liked his old teeth, but if (the veneers) make him happy, then I'm happy."

The changes aren't just cosmetic, either. "It is going to help muscle function, it is going to increase the volume (of his voice) maybe," says Yamin's Beverly Hills dentist David Frey, who provided his services free of charge. "So if anything, he could become an even better singer."

"I've always wanted to have a nicer smile," says Yamin, who for much of his life was teased for his crooked teeth. "I used to look at old pictures of myself, and I figured out how to kind of smile without displaying all my teeth."

What finally persuaded him to go through with the dental work? "The bottom line was, I was long overdue for a dentist appointment," he explains. He also realized that having properly aligned teeth might allow him to "express my emotions better" during performances.

Still another reason for the Virginia native (who is 90 percent deaf in one ear and was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a teen) to smile: He just signed a songwriting deal with Sony's publishing division and his "soulful-sounding" debut album is due early next year.

He finished in third place on Idol (behind runner-up Katharine McPhee and winner Taylor Hicks,) but so what? Says Yamin: "I feel like I am the winner."

For more on this story, check out the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Good for him. Having a crossbite can give you jaw pain too.

Great! Can't wait to see him. Only reason Taylor won was because his teeth was straight. j/k fuscia *lickety runs

Yeah you had better run Missy!

*grumbles

I'm just glad that Chris didn't win... because he's got the freedom, and he put out a great album. I love every song on it. My brother ordered me Katharine McPhee's cd, for my birthday, and it gets released next week. Can't wait to hear it. I will get this cd of Elliotts, when it releases... and I'm sure that it will be good. As for Taylors cd... is it even out? I haven't heard a thing about the guy.


Anyway... back to the topic. I think that it's great that Elliott was able to have this dental work... and that the guy did it for him, at no charge. That's amazing. I mean, $50k is nothing to sneeze at.

Taylor's CD comes out on the 12th. He is just now doing publicity for it. He did some covers, and some of his own songs from Under the Radar are on it. He has had some good reviews so far.

Wow... Taylor's cd hasn't even come out yet? Dang, Chris' came out on Nov 21st, and it's a great cd, and has sold quite well. Will be interesting to see how Taylor's cd does.

Taylor couldn't really start working on it until the Idol tour was over. He had six weeks to do it in.

Here is his TV schedule

12/06 Regis and Kelly
12/11 The View
12/12 CBS Early Show
12/12 CNN Showbiz Tonight
12/13 Martha
12/13 Christmas in Washington
12/13 Dr. Phil Christmas Show 12/14 Satellite Media Tour

Chris was on the tour as well, and he had to sit through auditions for the band, to back him up, as well. Kat and Kelly were on the tour too, and they worked on albums too.

I think that with Taylor, he had more to deal with *cough cough
AI horrible music people. At least Chris was spared dealing with the AI people. I still don't understand why anyone else on the show was allowed to have their album come out before the Idol. They ususally are all psycho crazy about inforcing that bit in the contract. Maybe Idol is changing.

Just shows what an effect TV has on society. A freakin' model goes for ol' Snaggletooth (a name I gave him on this board, thanks) when she wouldn't have spit in his face if it was on fire pre-Idol. Gosh bless America.

-HECK!