A Hollywood smile

A Hollywood smile 

If you weren’t blessed with a naturally bright set of pearly whites, all perfectly aligned, don’t worry.Chemical help is at hand - although it might involve a trip to the dentist 

Putting on a front

Thin veneers can make crooked and stained teeth appear bright and straight. Options include a porcelain veneer, stuck to the tooth with a cement, or a composite resin material applied directly to the tooth. These resins can be a combination of either zinc oxide or alumino-fluoro-silicate glass filler, and a refined acrylic or acrylic acid. With the help of a catalyst, activated by UV light, the acrylic hardens and sticks the filler to the tooth enamel - which has been pre-roughened with phosphoric acid. 

Whiter than white 

Yellowing teeth come from within. Translucent dental enamel can’t hide the colour of the underlying dentine and the tooth nerve, which get darker with age. The dentist can use a 10 per cent carbamide peroxide solution, which penetrates the tooth, reaching, and bleaching the discoloured dentine. 

Brushing away the problem

If the dentist’s chair is too fearsome, try a whitening toothpaste that contains a small amount of carbamide peroxide. But be warned, you will have to brush your teeth many times a day, over a long period of time to see any results.