Punk icon John Lydon is to undergo dental surgery amid fears his rotten teeth could kill him.

The Sex Pistols frontman was nicknamed Johnny Rotten in his 1970s heyday because of his crumbling molars, but he will soon have a healthier mouth after undergoing a surgical procedure.

The star suffered a double abscess earlier this year and was left with a temporary speech impediment after he was given stitches in his mouth following an operation - and he's now set for major surgery after a dentist warned him his gum problems could prove fatal.

Lydon tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "I'm finally having the teeth that have been missing for so many years put in. I was told that just one more abscess could kill me."