May 2, 2006
By Matthew Beard
Dazzling white teeth have become as important to the celebrity look as a wrinkle-free forehead and designer sunglasses.
So it is perhaps inevitable that the modern imperative to flash the faultless Hollywood smile, associated with such luminaries as Tom Cruise, is fuelling a boom in teeth-whitening products.
Such is the level of demand that dental products, once limited to oral hygiene, command a beauty category of their own. A report by British marketing research group Mintel says sales of floss, dental gum and teeth-whitening kits have grown in value from £17-million(about R190-million) in 2001 to £37m last year. Whitening products were the driving factor behind this growth.
Mintel expects dental floss, gum and whitening products will continue to see the fastest sales growth of the entire sector. Senior market analyst David Bird said: "The UK oral hygiene market has evolved into a whole new beauty sector.
"One of the biggest influences on the market has been the rising cult of celebrity, many of whom sport clinically enhanced pure white teeth. These stars have undoubtedly encouraged consumers to buy dental products on cosmetic rather than hygienic factors alone."
Tooth-whitening, or bleaching, has grown in popularity as white teeth are thought to be associated with youth
. A child's milk teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. Darkening is due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, and teeth can also become stained by bacterial pigments, foodstuffs and tobacco.
The attractions of white teeth have not been lost on the American film industry, where the "Hollywood smile" is considered de rigeur.
However, clinicians have warned that teeth whitening can lead to chemical burns, sensitive teeth and over-bleaching, resulting in so-called "fridge door teeth". And even Tom Cruise had to wear a brace for two years before achieving his current dashing grin.
The best results of the artificial finishes come from porcelain veneers, which require a more intensive procedure than bleaching. Moulds are made of the complete set of teeth, which are then filed down and fitted individually with porcelain shells, which go around the outside of the tooth.
Veneers are used when patients have spaces or crooked, chipped or small teeth. They are the updated version of the crown, which goes over the whole tooth and requires more reduction of the original.
  
 
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