Just one day before the 2014 CMA Awards, Taste of Country caught up with Dan + Shay ... or, one half of the duo, really. Dan Smyers stopped by our booth to chat about his other half, Shay Mooney, and why he was missing in action during interviews.

"It's a math equation, the plus sign's gotta change a little today," Smyers joked to Taste of Country about missing Mooney. "It's crazy. Shay, he's in the dentist right now. We've been on the road nonstop and he's had a little toothache. I've been blaming it on the Sour Patch Kids, but we actually got back today and he had an early dentist appointment and they were like, 'Boom. Emergency root canal,' so he couldn't make it today."

Though he was absent, the singer went into plenty of detail about the procedure on Mooney's behalf. "He's in the dentist chair. He's been sending me pictures," Smyers dished. "I think he's got a little novocaine in him, so it's funny, but yeah, I'm here hanging out and we've gotta sing tonight, so we'll see how that goes."

Smyers admits that the reason it got so bad is that his duo partner kept putting off the dentist. With a crazy busy schedule, it was probably hard for Mooney to find time to schedule an appointment, and when he did, it was a little too late for his poor tooth.

"He's been complaining about it for a year I think," Smyers admits. "It's gotta be bad."

Even though they were faced with a little bad luck pre-CMA Awards, Dan + Shay could still get lucky Wednesday night (Nov. 5), since they're nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year.

"It always feels like a dream," Smyers says. "You've gotta pinch yourself, you know. I've gotta always double check the official website to see that it's on there."

The duo are, in fact, listed on the CMA's official website. They'll go up against Florida Georgia Line, Love and Theft, the Swon Brothers and Thompson Square in the category for best duo.

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