Van Gerwen embarrassed by crooked teeth: ''He underestimated the after effects and is in a lot of pain''

Michael van Gerwen gave an update early this week on his dental surgery he underwent in June. The three-time world champion revealed in a statement that he will have to wear braces and undergo another surgery in due course.

Recovery time is taking a long time and Van Gerwen is still in a lot of dental pain. Still, he hopes his performance will not suffer. ''I don't want this to affect my performance at the Poland Darts Masters and World Matchplay coming up and I will do my best to win both events. However, I am still recovering at the moment and I hope everyone can understand this,'' the message read.

In an interview with 433 Darts, close friend Vincent van der Voort revealed additional information about Van Gerwen's medical situation. According to Van der Voort, 'Mighty Mike' is suffering a lot from the effects of the surgery.

''He underestimated the after effects and is in a lot of pain. They are pretty intense procedures. Michael now also has a lot of stitches in his mouth. On top of that now comes braces, today he is back in the hospital. Those braces are tightened every few days. That too is anything but fun,'' Van der Voort explained.

Last Saturday, Van Gerwen made his return to the circuit, but at the European Darts Matchplay, the world number three lost in his first match to Raymond van Barneveld.

''You could tell from everything that he was not himself,'' Van der Voort analyzed. ''In the practice room you normally always hear him talking. Now he was very quiet. You know, in his teeth it's all crooked. There are eight millimeters between his front teeth. That looks really weird. He's ashamed of that, too.''

''He doesn't feel comfortable with the situation. During the match, he kept his mouth shut continuously. We all hope he will be back to his old self soon. But this is not solved within a few days,'' Van der Voort said.