Johnny Rotten’s new teeth before and after
Johnny Rotten’s teeth underwent a dramatic change: his original teeth were severely decayed and misaligned, whereas after treatment he ended up with a much healthier-looking set of teeth. In the 1970s, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) was notorious for an unpleasant smile marked by rotten, green-tinted teeth and even missing pieces. These bad teeth earned him his nickname “Rotten.” Before dental work, his smile showed broken, discolored, and uneven teeth, reflecting years of poor hygiene and neglect. In contrast, after extensive dental procedures in the late 2000s, he emerged with new prosthetic teeth (implants and crowns) that restored a full row of teeth with normal shape and color. The difference is clearly visible: his post-treatment teeth are straighter, intact, and no longer visibly decayed, giving him a much more typical smile compared to the conspicuously “rotten” teeth of his youth. In short, the “before” picture featured crooked, infected teeth and gaps, while the “after” picture shows clean, solid teeth filling out his grin.
Johnny Rotten’s historical dental transformation and evolution
Over the decades, Johnny Rotten’s dental health went from disastrous to dramatically improved, following a timeline of neglect followed by major reconstruction. Here is a brief chronology of his dental transformation:
- Youth (1960s–70s): Grew up with virtually no dental care. As a child and teen, Lydon never brushed his teeth, leading to severe decay. By the time he joined the Sex Pistols in 1975, his teeth were visibly rotting, with greenish plaque and parts crumbling. This state gave rise to his stage name.
- Early Adulthood: Throughout the Sex Pistols era, he continued to live with bad teeth. Photographs from the late 1970s show missing and uneven front teeth, and a generally decayed dental appearance. He did not address the problem at this stage, and suffered frequent toothaches and infections.
- Mid-Life (2000s): Finally, in the mid-2000s, Lydon decided to fix his dental issues due to declining health. Around 2007–2008, he underwent a comprehensive dental overhaul in Los Angeles, reportedly spending about $20,000 on treatments. Over several years he had diseased teeth extracted, infections treated, and new teeth implanted.
- After 2010: By 2012, his dental reconstruction was essentially complete. He emerged with implanted teeth and restorations that gave him a full set of teeth. John noted that after this overhaul he felt healthier, no longer “poisoned” every morning by oral infections. His once notorious smile was now filled with artificial teeth that, while not flashy white, were stable and clean.
- Recent Years (2020s): He maintained his improved teeth for a decade, but due to continued poor oral hygiene, he began experiencing implant complications. By 2023, Lydon revealed that neglecting to brush his implants led to gum recession and loosening of those new teeth. As a result, even his “new” teeth have faced issues, and he is now on soft foods while dealing with these problems.
This journey illustrates a profound evolution from severe neglect to high-end dental repair – and a reminder that even restored teeth require care.
Johnny Rotten’s smile
Johnny Rotten’s smile has transitioned from a symbol of punk-era neglect to a more typical, restored grin in later years. In his early career, Rotten’s “smile” was often more of a sneer, showing discolored and broken teeth. His natural smile in the 1970s was marked by visible decay – observers saw dark, rotten front teeth (a couple even had a green hue) and noticeable gaps. This unruly smile became part of his image as an anti-establishment punk rocker. He was known to flash a grin full of “bad teeth” that shocked audiences but fit the punk aesthetic of the time.
After undergoing dental reconstruction, his smile changed noticeably. With new teeth in place, Lydon could smile without exposed cavities or missing teeth. His post-surgery smile displays a full complement of teeth that are uniform in alignment and color. They are not movie-star perfect, but they appear healthy and intact compared to before. Johnny himself joked that his new teeth look like “concrete gray” blocks or “car park bollards” – not overly bright, but certainly no longer decayed. In other words, the essence of his smile went from “rotten” to revitalized. He can now show teeth in photos or interviews without the same level of shock factor. However, vestiges of his old attitude remain: he deliberately avoided an unnatural, pure-white look, opting for a slightly dulled shade to match his remaining real teeth. This means his smile, while healthy, still looks authentic to him.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s smile today is far less jarring than it was in his Sex Pistols days, thanks to modern dentistry – yet it retains some character, reflecting the journey of his teeth and the persona behind them.
How did Johnny Rotten fix his teeth?
Johnny Rotten fixed his teeth by undergoing extensive professional dental treatment in the mid-2000s, including surgeries to remove infections and the installation of dental implants to replace his bad teeth. By his early 50s, John Lydon’s oral health had deteriorated so much that he was suffering systemic illness from his teeth. He finally took action around 2007–2008. According to reports, he flew to Los Angeles to get comprehensive dental work done.
The process began with addressing the immediate health issues: dentists treated multiple abscesses and severe gum disease that had developed from years of neglect. Rotten had several rotten teeth extracted – effectively removing the sources of chronic infection. He explained that “all those rotten teeth were…corrupting my system” and making him feel ill, so extraction was a necessary step. After clearing the infections and pulling unsalvageable teeth, the next phase was reconstruction.
Dental implants were used to rebuild his smile. An implant is an artificial tooth root (often titanium) placed into the jaw bone. Lydon had a number of implants inserted to replace the teeth he lost. These implants were then fitted with prosthetic crowns – custom-made artificial teeth – to restore chewing function and appearance. Essentially, he received a full set of new teeth anchored in his jaw. This intensive makeover reportedly cost him around $20,000 USD at the time. John Lydon emphasized that vanity was not the reason for fixing his teeth; it was a health necessity. He said the constant infections were “beginning to corrupt my system” and that after fixing his teeth he stopped feeling chronically sick.
In short, Johnny Rotten fixed his teeth through a combination of oral surgeries, extractions of decayed teeth, and the placement of dental implants with crowns. The result was a functional set of teeth and a healthier mouth, though it required significant investment and painful procedures over several years.
What are the differences between Johnny Rotten’s old and new teeth?
Johnny Rotten’s old teeth were severely decayed, discolored, and uneven, whereas his new teeth (after treatment) are artificial replacements that appear clean, aligned, and intact. There are several striking differences:
- Color: His original teeth had a yellowish-brown hue with even hints of green due to plaque and mold growth. They often looked dirty. In contrast, his new teeth are a uniform color. They are much whiter than before, though not Hollywood-bright. Lydon actually chose a slightly subdued shade (concrete gray) for realism. So the new teeth are bright and free of stains compared to the old ones.
- Health and Integrity: Rotten’s old teeth were literally rotten – riddled with cavities, infections, and pieces missing. “Bits of my teeth [were] missing…they’d gone green,” he recalled of his younger days. Many were cracked or chipped. By contrast, his new teeth are fully intact prosthetics. They have no decay since they are made of artificial materials (porcelain/ceramic crowns on implants). No visible holes or cracks are present now.
- Alignment and Shape: The old teeth were famously crooked and unevenly spaced. Photos show irregular spacing and an asymmetrical smile, partly because one or more front teeth were missing, causing gaps. The new teeth were designed to be straight and properly aligned in his jaw. The crowns were shaped to have normal tooth contours. As a result, Johnny’s post-reconstruction dental arch looks evenly spaced and regular in shape.
- Comfort and Function: Previously, his decayed teeth caused constant pain and chewing difficulty. He suffered abscesses and even systemic sickness from them. With the new teeth anchored by implants, he could chew normally without pain (at least initially). He noted feeling much healthier after getting the bad teeth removed and replaced.
- Material: The “old” teeth were natural (but badly neglected) teeth. The “new” teeth are not natural enamel; they include titanium implants and ceramic crowns. He humorously said he has “a lot of concrete” in his mouth now, and it feels like a “mouthful of bricks” due to the heavy-duty implant materials.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s old teeth vs. new teeth contrast like night and day – the former were decayed and symptomatic of poor dental health, while the latter are artificial, healthy-looking replacements. The transformation replaced infected, greenish teeth with clean, solid ones, eliminating the decay and drastically improving the aesthetics and health of his mouth.
Johnny Rotten’s decaying teeth
Johnny Rotten’s natural teeth were extremely decayed due to long-term neglect, which was evident in their appearance and impact on his health. During the 1970s, John Lydon’s teeth were in such bad shape that they became part of rock lore. They were visibly decaying – described as “rotten” by those around him. Bandmate Steve Jones noted that a couple of Lydon’s front teeth looked green and obviously rotten. The decay was caused by poor oral hygiene; Lydon has admitted he never brushed his teeth as a child or teen. Plaque and bacteria built up over years, leading to cavities that went untreated. Consequently, by his twenties his teeth were literally rotting away.
The decaying teeth were not just a cosmetic issue; they caused serious dental infections. John suffered recurrent gum abscesses and toothaches. He has said that at one point “a mold grew in there” on his teeth and that he thought it was “a positive feature” until it led to severe pain and illness. The decay was so advanced that it contributed to “eye aches, headaches, blood poisoning and bone rot” – meaning the infections from his teeth began spreading, affecting other parts of his body. Indeed, his nickname “Rotten” came from this dilapidated dental state.
By the time he sought treatment, many of his teeth were unsalvageable. Dentists found multiple teeth decayed to the roots, some broken off at the gumline, and infection eating into the jaw bone. In interviews, Lydon recalled that “the damage was so bad” from years of decay that it left holes in the jaw bone from abscesses. Ultimately he had “practically everything removed” because the teeth were decayed beyond repair.
In conclusion, Johnny Rotten’s original teeth were characterized by advanced decay – visible as blackened, greenish, missing teeth – which not only gave him a notorious look but also caused him significant health problems until he addressed them.
Are Johnny Rotten’s teeth showing signs of decay?
Today, Johnny Rotten’s new teeth themselves do not decay (being artificial), but unfortunately he has experienced new dental problems due to poor upkeep – specifically, gum issues causing his implants to loosen. The prosthetic teeth and implants he received are made of materials that cannot get cavities like natural teeth. Therefore, in the traditional sense, his current teeth are not “rotting” or developing new tooth decay. However, this does not mean his oral health is perfect now.
John Lydon admitted recently that he failed to maintain oral hygiene even after getting implants, which led to complications. He neglected to brush around his implants, which has caused severe gum disease around those implants. In a 2023 interview, he revealed that his gums have receded and the implant-supported teeth have “nothing of substance to keep hold of.” As a result, his implanted teeth are becoming loose and falling out. This condition is known as peri-implantitis – essentially, an infection of the gums and bone around implants due to plaque build-up, analogous to how decay affects natural teeth.
So while the crowns of his new teeth are not decaying (they won’t get cavities or turn brown like organic teeth), the supporting structures are deteriorating because of poor care. Lydon even said his fancy “titanium teeth implants hadn’t worked” as expected, since he didn’t take care of them and “forgot to mention you’re still supposed to brush your teeth” – acknowledging his mistake. He’s now experiencing consequences similar to decay: pain, loosening teeth, and inability to chew properly. He has resorted to a soft “baby food-style” diet because he can’t bite hard foods with the failing implants.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s current teeth are not decaying in the way natural teeth do, but they are effectively deteriorating due to gum disease from neglect. His story highlights that even replacement teeth require good hygiene. The obvious signs of rot that once defined his smile are gone, but he is now facing a different oral health challenge rather than traditional tooth decay.
Johnny Rotten’s dental arch
John Lydon likely had to reconstruct at least one full dental arch (an entire row of teeth) due to the loss of multiple teeth from decay and infection. Before treatment, he was missing several teeth; his upper dental arch in particular had gaps where teeth had either fallen out or been extracted. For example, photographs and his own accounts mention that “there were bits missing, all cracked up” in his mouth. This suggests his upper front arch was incomplete.
During his dental overhaul around 2008, the goal was to restore a functional arch of teeth. Dental implants were used to replace the missing teeth in his arch. An implant can support a single tooth crown or serve as an anchor for multiple teeth. In Rotten’s case, sources say he was “finally having the teeth that have been missing for so many years put in”. This implies that his dentists placed implants in the areas of his jaw that were toothless, effectively rebuilding the continuous arch of teeth.
To give a full top (and possibly bottom) set, several implants would have been strategically placed across the arch and fitted with crowns or bridgework. Modern implants can even support an “entire arch” of prosthetic teeth if needed. Lydon’s treatment likely approached that level – he mentions having “practically everything removed and replaced,” indicating most of the teeth in at least one arch were prosthetics after the procedure. Indeed, his upper dental arch post-surgery was complete and evenly spaced, a stark contrast to the earlier uneven arch with gaps.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s dental arch was reconstructed through implant dentistry, replacing the many teeth he lost. Where he once had an arch with multiple missing or rotten teeth, he ended up with a continuous arch of artificial teeth, restoring both appearance and biting function.
Johnny Rotten’s front teeth
Johnny Rotten’s front teeth went from being an infamous mess to being artificially restored. In his youth, Lydon’s upper front teeth (the central incisors and neighboring teeth) were in very poor condition. People who met him in the 1970s noticed right away that his front teeth were discolored and decayed, giving a ghastly first impression. Steve Jones recounted that John had a couple of front teeth that looked green and rotten, which was a key reason for dubbing him “Johnny Rotten”. Additionally, one of John’s central incisors was reportedly missing or broken early on – he “always had a tooth missing” in the front, as he later reflected. This left a gap in his smile and contributed to an asymmetrical look. His front teeth were also jagged in shape due to cavities and chips.
After undergoing dental surgeries, those front teeth were replaced with prosthetics. John Lydon had implants inserted in the front part of his upper jaw to fill in the gap from the missing tooth and to take the place of his other bad incisors. Porcelain crowns were then attached, recreating the appearance of normal front teeth. As a result, his front teeth now appear straight and intact. The prominent gap he sported in the Sex Pistols era is gone – his central incisors are present and properly aligned. The color of his new front teeth is a uniform off-white (concrete-gray by his description, since he didn’t opt for bright white), instead of the patchy brown/green of before.
In essence, the front teeth that once exemplified “Johnny Rotten” – crooked, decayed, and gapped – have been transformed. Today he has two normal-looking front incisors anchoring his smile, thanks to implant-supported crowns. They restore the function and aesthetics of his bite, even if on close inspection one might notice they are artificial. This is a dramatic improvement from the days when his front teeth were a glaring sign of neglect.
Johnny Rotten’s teeth in his youth
In his youth, Johnny Rotten’s teeth were in an extremely neglected state – essentially untreated from childhood, leading to decay and damage early on. As a child growing up in a working-class household in London, John Lydon did not develop any habits of oral care. He has said that the only time he ever saw a toothbrush being used in his home was when his father used it to polish boots, not for brushing teeth. Consequently, young Lydon never brushed his teeth at all while growing up. By his early teens, this lack of hygiene was already taking a toll: his teeth were turning bad while he was still very young.
John recalls that as a kid his teeth had “bits missing” and even had a green mold on them – a vivid indication of severe plaque and tartar accumulation over years. There was “no concept of cleaning them after eating or any time” in his upbringing. Naturally, this resulted in rampant tooth decay by the time he was a teenager. Before he was ever famous, he had multiple cavities and probably some gum infections. Friends from his youth noted that he often had toothaches or swelling from abscesses even as a teenager.
By the age of 19 (in 1975, just before joining the Sex Pistols), Lydon’s dental condition was extremely poor, worse than many people decades older. His teeth were described as dirty, crooked, and “really, really rotten”, which stood out even in an era when British dental care had a rough reputation. This shocking state in youth is what led Steve Jones to immediately call him “Rotten” upon meeting him. Notably, one of his upper front teeth was already gone by youth – he spent part of his teenage years with a gap-toothed smile.
In summary, during his youth John Lydon’s teeth were essentially rotting away. The combination of zero brushing, no dental visits, and a sugar-rich diet meant that by the time he reached young adulthood, his mouth was full of decayed teeth, setting the stage for the dental woes he later had to fix.
Johnny Rotten’s teeth before he became famous
Even before fame, John Lydon’s teeth were in terrible shape – discolored, damaged, and notable enough to earn him a nickname. In the early 1970s, prior to the Sex Pistols’ notoriety, Lydon was just a London youth with a very poor set of teeth. By around 1975 (age 19), when Malcolm McLaren and the band members met him, his dental problems were obvious at first glance. It’s reported that during his audition for the band, his teeth were visibly disgusting, which left an impression on the others. Guitarist Steve Jones has said that when he first encountered Lydon, “a couple of [John’s teeth] in the front looked green. They just looked rotten”. This was an unusual sight – greenish rotten front teeth – and it quickly led the band to start calling him “Johnny Rotten.” So even before any public exposure, his bad teeth were literally his defining feature among peers.
Photos of Lydon from 1975–76 (pre-fame and just as Sex Pistols launched) confirm the state of his mouth: you can see a missing incisor and several other teeth that are dark or uneven. There was no cosmetic fix or dental work done at that point; he essentially went on stage as-is. People who knew him recalled that he had foul breath and often gum swelling, signs that the teeth were decaying and infected even then. No intervention was made before fame – indeed, part of the punk ethos was a disdain for propriety, and Rotten wore his bad teeth as a badge of authenticity. He even “boasted” about them in a tongue-in-cheek way, making faces that showed off the rot.
Therefore, before Johnny Rotten became famous, his teeth were already a wreck. There wasn’t a “before and after” within the fame timeline – he entered fame with teeth in dire condition. It wasn’t until decades later that he did anything to alter that. The key point is that his pre-fame dental condition was so bad it became inseparable from his identity: the press and fans immediately noted Johnny Rotten’s grotesque smile as part of the punk image.
Does Johnny Rotten have veneers on his teeth?
There is no clear evidence that Johnny Rotten has porcelain veneers; instead, his dental makeover was achieved primarily through implants and crowns after extracting his bad teeth. Veneers are thin shells bonded to the front of existing teeth to improve appearance. In John Lydon’s case, by the time he sought treatment, many of his original teeth were not healthy enough to simply be covered with veneers – they had to be removed. He underwent extensive oral surgery and ended up with implants and full crowns (artificial teeth) rather than just cosmetic facings.
John himself has never stated that he got veneers. He described his treatment as having “parts of the inside of my mouth replaced” and “practically everything removed and replaced” with artificial material. This implies whole-tooth replacements (like crowns on implants) rather than veneer laminates on existing teeth.
Some fans have speculated that he might have used veneers on any remaining natural teeth to enhance their look. It’s true that after his procedures his smile became neat and uniform, which is a result one could achieve with veneers in other cases. However, given the severity of his dental issues, the main solution was surgical. Most of his current visible teeth are prosthetic crowns attached to implants or bridges, not his original tooth enamel that could be veneered. If any of his original teeth survived and were cosmetically improved, it’s possible a few front teeth might have veneers or bonding – but this has not been confirmed by Lydon or his dentists.
In summary, Johnny Rotten probably does not have traditional cosmetic veneers, since his overhaul involved removing rotten teeth entirely. The transformation of his smile came from implant-supported crowns and possibly full-coverage caps, rather than just covering the fronts of existing teeth. Any speculation about veneers remains unproven, and the core of his dental repair was more structural in nature.
Did Johnny Rotten get his teeth done?
Yes – Johnny Rotten absolutely “got his teeth done,” undergoing major dental work to repair and replace his teeth. After decades of living with rotten teeth, he finally took action in 2008 by consulting dental professionals. The result was a comprehensive dental reconstruction. According to reports and his own accounts, Lydon had extensive dental work in Los Angeles in 2008 at a cost of around $22,000. This included multiple procedures: the extraction of decayed teeth, treatment of infections, and installation of implants and crowns as new teeth.
He has openly discussed this in interviews. For instance, he explained that he didn’t fix his teeth for vanity but out of necessity – the rotten teeth were making him ill. Once he underwent the procedures, he essentially emerged with a new set of teeth. Colloquially speaking, he “got his teeth done” in much the same way many celebrities do, albeit later in life and as a health imperative. The process took several years to complete and was quite painful, by his admission. He also had follow-up surgeries (for example, jaw surgery related to abscesses).
By around 2010, Johnny Rotten had a radically different dental profile than the one he had in the 70s. The iconic bad teeth were gone, replaced by prosthetic teeth. So, if the question is asking whether he ever got dental work: the answer is an unequivocal yes. He went from having one of the most famously bad sets of teeth in rock, to having a fully repaired set of dentures/implants. Anyone who sees photos of him in the 2010s can notice the difference – clearly indicating that he had significant dental intervention.
Does Johnny Rotten have gold teeth?
No, Johnny Rotten is not known to have any gold teeth in his mouth. Throughout his dental journey, there has been no mention or visible evidence of gold dental crowns or gold teeth as part of his restoration. His goal in fixing his teeth was to address decay and improve health, not to add decorative metal teeth.
When he got his teeth reconstructed, the replacements were made to look like natural teeth (using porcelain or similar tooth-colored material). Lydon did not opt for any flashy gold caps on his front teeth – in fact, he specifically avoided making his new teeth too conspicuously perfect or bright white, but he still kept them normal in appearance (just slightly gray-toned). Gold teeth, which some people choose for style or due to old-style dentistry, have never been part of Lydon’s look. Even during his punk years, he didn’t have gold dental work; he simply had decayed natural teeth.
Today, his implanted crowns are typically ceramic fused onto metal implants. The visible part of each tooth is white/off-white, not gold. In numerous photos and interviews post-dental-work, his smile shows tooth-colored prosthetics. Had he gotten a gold tooth, it would be quite noticeable. There are no such observations from credible sources or from Lydon himself. He tends to mention his teeth being “concrete grey” and matching his old shade – again implying a dull natural color, not metallic.
In summary, John Lydon does not have gold teeth. All available information suggests his dental restorations were meant to simulate natural teeth rather than make a statement with precious metals. No gold or silver decorations were reported; the focus was on healthy, functional teeth.
Does Johnny Rotten have silver teeth?
No, Johnny Rotten does not have silver teeth either. “Silver teeth” could refer to old-style amalgam fillings (which are silver-colored) or silver dental caps. In John Lydon’s case, there is no indication that any of his teeth are visibly silver or metal. His dental treatments resulted in tooth-colored crowns. He did likely have metal implant posts and possibly metal alloy cores under some crowns, but those are not visible in his smile.
During the punk era, he had metal braces or fillings? Actually, he never had braces, and any fillings he might have had were overshadowed by the overall decay. Post-reconstruction, if one inspects his photos, all visible teeth are natural in color. There are no reports of him sporting a “silver tooth” or any decorative metal dental work. Had he kept any original teeth with large fillings, those might have had amalgam, but again, he ended up removing most of those bad teeth.
Occasionally, rumors or assumptions might arise because his new teeth were described by him as “concrete gray”. This doesn’t mean they are metallic – rather it means they are a dull grayish-white (he intentionally did not choose super-white crowns). So sometimes people misinterpret that description, but it’s not actual silver color, just a tone of white.
Furthermore, John has not been seen with any flashy dental grill or silver caps. Unlike some musicians who incorporate metallic teeth for style, Rotten’s dental journey was about getting rid of rot, not adding bling.
Therefore, he does not have silver teeth in any cosmetic sense. His teeth, whether natural or artificial, have always been either white/yellow (natural enamel) or ceramic (off-white). No silver tooth has ever been mentioned by him or observed in his appearances.
Johnny Rotten’s white teeth
After his dental reconstruction, Johnny Rotten’s teeth became significantly whiter than before, though not Hollywood-bright – he intentionally kept them a bit subdued in color. For most of his life, “white teeth” is the last phrase anyone would use to describe John Lydon’s smile. His natural teeth were famously stained and discolored (shades of yellow, brown, even green). However, once he got implants and crowns, the materials used were new and clean, giving him a much whiter smile by comparison.
It’s important to note that Lydon did not want an unnaturally white, gleaming set of teeth. He has a contrarian streak and chose to make his new teeth look more realistic. He said some of his friends described his new teeth “as car park bollards” and “They are concrete gray, so I didn’t go with that white look. I wanted them to match the little bit that I had left from my youth.”. This quote shows that he deliberately avoided super-bleached white teeth. Instead, his crowns were tinted to a slightly grayish off-white, matching any remaining natural teeth he still had.
So, in absolute terms, his current teeth are white (free of stains or decay) – especially compared to the blackened stubs he had before – but they are not a shining bright white. They have a realistic tone. In photographs under good lighting, his teeth now appear a normal creamy white.
When people ask about “Johnny Rotten’s white teeth,” they’re likely noticing that post-2008 his teeth looked clean for once. Yes, after the procedure, audiences were surprised to see him with a full set of almost-white teeth. The contrast with his old look was stark. It’s been commented on in media that he was nearly unrecognizable without the brown teeth.
In conclusion, Johnny Rotten does have relatively white teeth now thanks to modern dentistry, though by his own design they are a muted white (concrete grey) rather than an artificial movie-star white. They certainly appear white next to the decayed teeth of his past.
Johnny Rotten’s central incisors
Johnny Rotten’s central incisors (the two upper front teeth) were once severely affected by decay and even loss, but have since been replaced by prosthetic teeth that look normal. During the Sex Pistols era, one of Lydon’s most striking features was the gap in his front teeth. At least one of his central incisors was missing or broken by his early twenties. This left a noticeable gap in the middle of his smile. The remaining front tooth and adjacent ones were in bad condition – they were discolored (greenish tint) and rough-edged from cavities. The asymmetry of having one front tooth missing gave him that signature snaggly grin.
Fast-forward to after his dental work: both central incisor positions are now filled. Dentists placed an implant and crown to replace the missing front tooth, and likely did a crown or implant for the other front tooth as well (since it was rotten). Now, if you look at John Lydon’s smile, you will see two front teeth of equal size and shape, properly centered. They are artificial, but crafted to match his mouth. He no longer has a gap-toothed look.
One interesting detail: when choosing the appearance of those new front teeth, Lydon didn’t make them ultra-bright. He matched them to an off-white shade, as noted earlier, so his central incisors are a bit grayish rather than sparkling white. This was his personal preference to avoid an obviously fake look. Even so, they are clean and intact – a dramatic improvement from the decayed original incisors.
Functionally, having two solid front incisors again means he could bite and speak more normally than when one was missing. He has mentioned that during the adjustment period, he sometimes bit his tongue with the new teeth because he wasn’t used to having them all in place. Over time he adapted to the proper positioning of his new incisors.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s central front teeth went from a state of decay and loss to being fully restored via dental implants/crowns. What was once a hallmark gap and rot is now filled by straight, artificial incisors – reflecting the overall restoration of his dental health.
What happened to Johnny Rotten’s teeth?
In summary, decades of poor hygiene left Johnny Rotten’s natural teeth in ruins, and he eventually had them all but completely replaced through extensive dental surgeries – trading “rotting” teeth for implant-supported new teeth, and later struggling with maintaining those implants. What happened is essentially a cautionary tale and a redemption arc combined:
During his youth and early career, Lydon neglected his teeth entirely, leading to progressive decay. By the end of the 1970s, his nickname “Rotten” was literal – his teeth were crumbling and infected. He endured this condition for years. The consequences were frequent abscesses, pain, and even systemic illness (he felt sick often from oral infections). His gums were receding and untreated infections were poisoning his system.
Finally, in 2008, he took decisive action. John spent a large sum (around £18,000 or $22,000) on restoring his dental health. Dentists extracted the rotten teeth that could not be saved. He underwent surgeries to clean out infection in his jaw (at one point having a double abscess operation that left him briefly with a speech impediment). After healing, he had a series of dental implants placed to rebuild his mouth. Over a couple of years, he essentially got a new set of teeth installed.
As a result, by around 2010, Johnny Rotten no longer had rotten teeth – his trademark bad teeth were gone. He had a functional, pain-free mouth for the first time in his adult life. He himself noted that after fixing his teeth, many of his chronic health complaints subsided and he “felt much better” day to day. It was a positive outcome of modern dentistry on an extreme case.
However, the story doesn’t end there. What happened next is that Lydon did not diligently care for his expensive new teeth, unfortunately. Over the 2010s, he fell back into poor oral habits. By 2023, he admitted that he hadn’t been brushing the implants properly. This led to severe gum disease around them. His gums deteriorated, and the implants started to fail (since the bone and gum won’t hold them if infected). So, ironically, he’s now dealing with a new round of tooth loss – not of natural teeth, but of the implanted ones. He has said he’s now “gritting [his] teeth when [he] speak[s]” and can only consume soft foods because chewing is difficult. Essentially, some of his new crowns are falling out because the support is gone.
In conclusion, Johnny Rotten’s teeth went from being a notorious disaster, to a costly fixed solution, and now to a cautionary outcome due to maintenance neglect. He rid himself of the original rotten teeth through surgery and got new teeth, but failing to care for those has led to fresh problems. It’s a dramatic saga that underscores the importance of dental hygiene at every stage.
Did Johnny Rotten wear braces?
No, Johnny Rotten did not wear orthodontic braces to straighten his teeth. His dental issues were not addressed with braces at any point in his life. In his younger years, he never saw a dentist for any corrective procedures – braces were out of the question when even basic cleaning wasn’t happening. His teeth remained crooked and misaligned all through the Sex Pistols era, with no attempt at orthodontics. The punk ethos aside, the severe decay in his teeth would have made braces impractical; you can’t put braces on teeth that are crumbling or infected.
Later, when he finally fixed his teeth in the 2000s, the solution was to remove and replace the bad teeth entirely, not to straighten them gradually. By that time, many teeth were already missing or had to be pulled, so there were not enough healthy teeth to even consider traditional braces. Instead, dental implants with correctly aligned crowns gave him an instantly straight smile. Essentially, the alignment issue was solved by prosthetics rather than moving the natural teeth. John Lydon has humorously noted that his new teeth looked a bit large or blocky (“bollards”) but he never mentioned any braces or aligners in the process – because there weren’t any.
So, throughout the transformation of his mouth, braces were never part of the picture. He jumped from having extremely crooked natural teeth to having straight artificial teeth, without the intermediate step of orthodontic correction. This is consistent with a reconstructive approach: extract, then implant, rather than trying to save and realign the original teeth. If one considers the timeline, by the age when he fixed his teeth (early 50s), orthodontics would be unusual; the comprehensive reconstructive approach was chosen instead.
In summary, Johnny Rotten did not wear braces at any stage. His famously jagged teeth were left as-is until they were replaced outright, bypassing the need for braces to correct alignment.
Are Johnny Rotten’s teeth asymmetrical?
In the past, Johnny Rotten’s teeth were very asymmetrical, but after dental reconstruction they became much more symmetrical. Originally, his dental asymmetry was quite pronounced. He had an uneven distribution of teeth – for example, one of his front teeth was missing which made one side of his smile look different from the other. Many of his teeth were at odd angles or had irregular sizes due to chips and decay. If you looked at photos of him in the 1970s, you’d notice that his teeth did not line up evenly; some stuck out or were spaced unpredictably. This gave a very uneven, lopsided aspect to his bite. In simple terms, nothing was aligned – the top row had a gap on one side, and various teeth were of differing heights.
After he got implants and new crowns, the dentistry process essentially created a uniform alignment. The prosthetic teeth were designed to fit a proper arch form. Now, the left and right sides of his dental arch mirror each other much more closely in terms of tooth presence and shape. The major gaps are closed. His two front teeth sit neatly in the center, and the lateral teeth follow a regular curvature. By correcting missing teeth and establishing a consistent size for the crowns, the dentists achieved symmetry that was lacking before.
That said, his current teeth are not perfectly, unnaturally symmetrical (like how veneers sometimes look too uniform). They still have a natural variance – for instance, slight differences in shape that make them look real. But compared to the chaotic state earlier, there is a clear balance now. When he smiles, the teeth line up in a straight row, and each side of the mouth has the same number of teeth in view.
In his own jokes, he’s mentioned the new teeth looking a bit blocky like uniform bollards, implying a regularity that certainly wasn’t there before. This regularity is essentially symmetry. No longer is one canine tooth protruding higher or one incisor absent – those asymmetries are gone.
In summary, Johnny Rotten’s teeth used to be asymmetrical and crooked, but today they appear aligned and largely symmetrical thanks to the comprehensive dental work he underwent.
Did Johnny Rotten have dental surgery?
Yes. Johnny Rotten underwent multiple dental surgeries as part of fixing his teeth – including oral surgeries for infections and for placing implants. In fact, surgery was a critical component of his dental transformation. Here are the surgeries he had:
- Abscess drainage and gum surgery: He suffered from two serious abscesses in his mouth that had to be surgically resolved. In recent years he “had several dental surgeries — including one to resolve two serious abscesses in his mouth, which left him with stitches in his gums”. This indicates an oral surgeon or dentist had to cut into the gum/jaw area to clean out infection. After such surgery, he even had a temporary speech impediment because of the stitches and swelling. This qualifies as significant dental surgery.
- Jaw surgery: Lydon himself has mentioned undergoing jaw surgery as part of dealing with the long-term infections. The chronic dental infections had caused bone loss (sometimes termed “bone rot” in his descriptions), so a surgical intervention in the jaw was needed, possibly to remove necrotic bone tissue or to graft bone.
- Extractions: The removal of numerous rotten teeth is a surgical procedure (often done by an oral surgeon for multiple or difficult teeth). He had “all kinds of abscesses” and then had “practically everything removed” – a reference to extracting many teeth. Each extraction, especially if surgical (some might have been broken teeth requiring cutting the gum), counts as dental surgery.
- Implant placement: Getting dental implants is a surgical process as well. It involves drilling into the jaw bone and inserting metal posts. John Lydon underwent implant surgeries to place the titanium implants for his new teeth. He likely had multiple implants done, possibly in stages. Each implant surgery would require local anesthesia (or general if many at once) and a healing period.
In summary, yes, Johnny Rotten had extensive dental surgery. From infection control (abscess surgeries) to reconstructive (implants and possibly bone grafts), his path to oral rehabilitation was surgical in nature. He did not just get quick fixes; he endured years of serious dental operations to turn his “rotten” teeth into a healthy mouth. He has even humorously warned others to take care of their teeth to avoid the “painful, expensive” surgeries he had to go through.
What dental procedures has Johnny Rotten undergone?
Johnny Rotten underwent a wide range of dental procedures to address his oral health issues. His journey from rotten teeth to a repaired smile involved essentially every major dental procedure short of orthodontics. Here is a breakdown of the procedures John Lydon has undergone, based on reports and his accounts:
- Tooth Extractions: Many of Lydon’s teeth were beyond saving and had to be pulled out. He has stated “I had practically everything removed” due to the damage. This means multiple extractions of decayed teeth across his mouth. Removing infected teeth was necessary to eliminate pain and infection.
- Treatment of Abscesses (Oral Surgery): He suffered from serious dental abscesses (pockets of infection in the gums/jaw). He underwent surgeries to drain and clean these abscesses. For example, a double abscess surgery left him with stitches in his mouth and temporarily affected his speech. This procedure would involve lancing the abscesses, cleaning out pus and infected tissue, and possibly removing adjacent diseased bone.
- Jaw Surgery and Bone Grafting: Because the infections had caused bone loss (sometimes referred to as “bone rot”), John needed surgical intervention in the jaw. He mentions jaw surgery in interviews. This likely included debridement of infected bone and could have included bone grafts to rebuild areas of jawbone in preparation for implants. It’s not explicitly detailed, but extensive work implies some bone reconstruction was done to support new teeth.
- Periodontal Treatment: Given his advanced gum disease, he would have received deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) and possibly gum surgery. This would remove tartar below the gum line and infected tissue. The goal was to treat periodontitis so that his gums could heal. Indeed, before reconstruction, his gums were receding and unhealthy, so periodontal therapy was a part of the process (often done by a periodontist or hygienist as a series of treatments).
- Dental Implants Placement: A cornerstone of his rehabilitation was implant surgery. Dental implants (titanium screw-like posts) were placed into his jaw bone to act as roots for new teeth. He had several implants inserted (exact number not public, but enough to replace “the teeth missing for so many years”). Each implant placement is a surgical procedure requiring precision drilling into the bone.
- Prosthetic Dental Crowns/Bridges: After the implants healed and fused to the bone, John received prosthetic crowns on those implants. These crowns are essentially new teeth (often porcelain) custom-made to fit his mouth. In some cases, multiple crowns can be connected as a bridge. He ended up with a full set of artificial teeth anchored either on implants or, in any spots without implants, possibly on a small bridge. These crowns restored his ability to chew and gave the appearance of natural teeth. For instance, his front tooth gap was corrected by a crown on an implant, giving him two normal front teeth again.
- Full Mouth Reconstruction: Taken together, the extractions, implants, and crowns amount to what dentists call a full mouth reconstruction. Lydon’s case was essentially this – rebuilding the entirety of his dentition. It spanned several years and involved coordination between oral surgeons, restorative dentists, and possibly endodontists. The end result was a functional and aesthetic rehabilitation of a mouth that was once in dire condition.
Each of these procedures was performed to solve specific problems: infected teeth removed, infection sites cleaned, missing teeth replaced, and overall oral function restored. It’s a testament to modern dentistry that even someone with as extreme dental issues as Johnny Rotten could end up with a healthy mouth again – albeit after undergoing almost every procedure in the book.
