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Idol Runner Up has a Lot to Smile About

He may only have come in third place in this year?s ?American Idol? song contest but Elliot Yamin has a lot to smile about these days. The twenty eight year old has a new girlfriend, his debut album is due out early next year and he finally has a mouthful of new teeth to flash to the cameras when he wants to show how truly happy he is.

Being called ?snaggletooth? all his life because of his crooked teeth did not stop Yamin from perusing his life long dream of being a singer. His lucky break came when he entered the ?American Idol? competition and, despite his underdog status, come in at a very respectable third place behind winner, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Many feel, however, that Yamin was the true winner of the show. His debut soul album is due out in 2007 and he has just signed a song-writing deal with Sony.

Yamin was finally able to fulfill a life-long dream and had porcelain veneers put into his mouth to replace his crooked teeth. While the dental work was worth $50,000, Yamin?s dentist presented the teeth free of charge. Yamin is apparently ecstatic over his new look and even his new girlfriend, Jaime Paetz, who apparently loved his old look, cannot dispel his enthusiasm. "I used to look at old pictures of myself, and I figured out how to kind of smile without displaying all my teeth", Yamin has said.