SIR Paul McCartney has let slip one of his best kept secrets - he has worn a false front tooth for 32 years.
The former Beatle - whose hits include Can't Buy Me Love - revealed the gap in his grin when he arrived at a US party to honour his fashion designer daughter Stella. The crown came loose when he bit into a baguette from a New York deli but there was not enough time to fix it before the bash. Aides admitted he lost the incisor in a motorbike spill in 1967. But the accident and dental work was covered up. A spokesman said: "Paul decided the best way to conceal the damage was to grow the moustache he had then a bit longer."
GUM TOGETHER Macca lost tooth mystery is solved THE mystery of Paul McCartney's missing gnasher has been the talk of New York. Aides scoffed at the idea that the 57-year-old star has grown forgetful with age. And they hotly denied he had absent-mindedly left his false tooth in a glass of water in his hotel bathroom. Instead they explained the gap in his famous smile by saying Sir Paul lost it after biting into a crusty baguette bought from a delicatessen. He had worn a crown since 1967 after losing his real tooth in an accident.
"As I recall Paul was involved in a motorcycle crash at the time he was making the Sgt Pepper album," said a spokesman. "He grew his moustache way down to cover his injured lip and was given a crown by his dentist. It came out on Wednesday before he set off to the party held by the fashion house Chloe in honour of his daughter Stella. He didn't have time to get a new one fitted." But the musician's teeth were all present and correct when he turned up for the MTV Music Awards the next night. Sir Paul was one of the surprise presenters on hand to dish out awards to performers including Britain's Fatboy Slim and David Bowie. "He managed to visit a dentist before the MTV bash," an aide explained.
Macca's original dental crisis was treated with the utmost seriousness back in the Sixties. The Fab Four were at the height of their fame and could barely leave their homes without being besieged by fans and photographers. It is an extraordinary tribute to the loyalty of the entourage surrounding the band at the time that the story stayed a secret for 32 years. Firstly the superstar's spin doctors hushed up the motor- biking accident which left the baby-faced star's boyish smile in pieces. Then they managed to keep the public unaware of the substantial dental work that followed. The fact that the Beatles were mid-way through their psyche- delic hippy phase helped the situation.
It was the year before the release of the Abbey Road album, which had two tracks issued also as a single - Something and Come Together. "They had left their mop top look behind and were growing their hair and beards at the time of the crash," the aide went on. "Paul decided the best way to conceal the damage to his face was to grow the moustache he was sporting then a little bit longer still. It drooped right over his lip but it did the job - just as long as he didn't smile too broadly. His top lip was right a mess. "I can't remember if Paul was wearing a crash helmet or not, but of course in those days they weren't compulsory. It looked like he landed face first on the ground. The gravel had left some nasty grazes. It must have hurt like hell."
Friends claimed this week it must have been almost as painful for Sir Paul - at least, to his pride - to have to appear in public without the crown. He kept his mouth firmly shut when there were photographers around at the Chloe bash. But photographers managed to capture Macca's gap-tooth look on film. "Sir Paul takes a great pride in his appearance," the aide said. "His face is in truly remarkable condition for a man pushing 60. His eyes, for example, are free of bags and there are very few creases on his face. "The vegetarian lifestyle embraced by him and his late wife Linda has obviously served the rocker well. Paul also likes good clothes. He's a big fan of designer Paul Smith's suits. So it's fair to say that he will be a little red-faced when he sees that picture of his gap-toothed smile."
10 TOOTHY
MACCA TUNES
1. Molar Kintyre
2. Yes-decay.
3. Hey Chewed
4. Ticket to Fluoride
5. Fool On The Drill
6. Hey! You've Got To Hide Your Tooth Decay
7. A Hard Day's Bite
8. We Can Yank It Out
9. Get Plaque
10. Love Me Chew