As someone who scored her first No. 1 hit before her 14th birthday, you would think LeAnn Rimes had run out of career “firsts.” However, that was not the case in June 2025, when the ’90s country icon persevered through an unprecedented dental malfunction during a show in Washington. Now, Rimes, 42, is sharing more information about the health issues that led to that incident.
Videos by American Songwriter
LeAnn Rimes Has Undergone Multiple Dental Surgeries
Speaking with Flow Space for their July cover story, LeAnn Rimes put her physical imperfections on full display. The singer’s dental issues began when she was just 16 and needed veneers. Later, after a dentist botched the follow-up surgery, she spent a decade in and out of the chair undergoing root canals and surgeries.
“I look at my pictures from that time, and my face was so different—it was just so swollen,” Rimes said. “Oh, it was awful. I was in chronic pain for, like, two-and-a-half years.”
Back in 2013, the three-time ACM Award winner sued her dentist, Dr. Duane C. McKay, accusing him of misdiagnosing her dental problems and performing substandard work on her crowns and veneers.
The dentist’s shoddy work led to nine root canals, bone grafting, a temporary bridge, physical therapy, and “a permanent cosmetic deficiency,” Rimes said. These issues “significantly compromised” her ability to perform.
“The Show Must Go On”
More than a decade later, those issues persist. Just last month, LeAnn Rimes was in the middle of belting her 1996 hit “One Way Ticket (Because I Can)” when she felt something pop in her mouth.
“And if you’ve been around, you know I’ve had a lot of dental surgeries, and I have a bridge in the front, and it fell out in the middle of my song last night,” explained the “Blue” songstress matter-of-factly in a social media video.
At first, Rimes did what any one of us would do—she panicked. Instructing the audience to “hold on,” Rimes ran to the side of the stage and popped her bridge back in.
“And you know what? There wasn’t a f—ing thing I could do about it, except either walk off or just to hold my teeth in and sing,” she continued. “So I just ran with it.”
In the ultimate display of professionalism, Rimes kept right on singing, discreetly pushing her teeth back into place every few lines. “Like, ‘Can’t Find the Moonlight’—they completely fell out of my mouth,” she said.
Featured image by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.