US reality star Bethenny Frankel might not be smiling much at the moment because of her stressful divorce proceedings, but the 42-year-old is determined to improve her teeth anyway and recently visited the dentist to get her teeth whitened from ‘candy corn’ yellow, to a healthier ‘marshmallow’ shade.

The Real Housewives celebrity posted a video of herself attending treatment at the Lavaan Dental Spa in New York City and was initially sceptical that the clinical procedure would be noticeably more effective than the DIY whitening trays she used at home. Although she was not convinced that the treatment would dramatically alter her teeth, she was still excited about the prospect and chatted with the team members while she waited for dentist Dr Jeffrey Rappaport to carry out the whitening.

Bethenny was decked out in a blue apron, sound-proof headphones and orange goggles, to protect her eyes from the curing light used to activate the bleaching gel. After the treatment was completed, she seemed thrilled with the results and joked that she would be able to come off her ‘white foods only’ diet, thanks to the improvement in her enamel shade. She added that she was so sick of the restriction she had put on herself that she would now ‘never eat white sauce again.’

When the 31-year-old appeared on television in a toothpaste commercial some viewers questioned that her dazzling smile really was all white, but now advertising watchdogs have declared that Holly is, in fact, whiter than white.

Any suggestions of TV trickery have been totally repudiated by the Advertising Standards Association, who, after examining the raw film footage provided by Oral-B, ruled that the television images in the advertisement for the maker’s 3D White Brilliance toothpaste were genuine.

The investigation into the advertisement came after some viewers said that Holly’s teeth were so white that the image must have been digitally enhanced, while others suggested that her teeth were so clean and bright that she must also have undergone professional whitening as well as simply using the toothpaste.

Holly, the beautiful co-host of ITV’s This Morning programme, responded by issuing a statement confirming that she had used the advertised product over a two-week period prior to filming and she had then noticed that her teeth were visibly whiter than before that time.

She also said that the commercial truly and accurately represented her opinion and experience of using the toothpaste in question.

The advert for Oral-B 3D toothpaste, manufactured by Procter and Gamble, featured a man and a woman sitting on a bus with a voice-over that said: “When you smile, the world smiles back. Introducing Oral B 3D White Brilliance toothpaste.”

The ad then backed up the claims with an appearance by Holly, revealing her own perfect white teeth, who declared: “You see! No one can resist the perfect white smile. That’s why Oral-B 3D White is always part of my beauty regime.’

In its report, the ASA said while there had been some changes to the original footage, the outcome did not misleadingly exaggerate the effect of using Oral-B 3D.

It went on:: “We examined both the graded and un-graded versions of the ad and noted the overall appearance of Ms Willoughby’s teeth in the ad had not been significantly modified. Because Ms Willoughby had used the advertised product for a two-week period prior to filming the ad and noticed visibly whiter teeth, her teeth had not been whitened prior to filming the ad and her teeth had not been significantly modified during post production, we considered the ad did not exaggerate the efficacy of the advertised product.”

You could say that, as far as Holly was concerned, it was smiles better!

After scooping the X-Factor title last weekend James Arthur is already getting into the swing of fame by opting for a Hollywood makeover to improve his teeth. James’ story captured the nation’s attention after he auditioned for the talent show whilst living in a £200 a month bedsit and surviving on very little income; now that he has more money he has decided to get his crooked teeth fixed to try and put the past behind him.

‘I am going to get my teeth sorted out and whitened,’ The singer explained, ‘not for vain reasons – I have always wanted to get them done.’ He added that he felt the appearance of his teeth may affect his confidence on stage, saying ‘I’m a singer. I don’t want to open my mouth and have these crooked teeth going on. It’s just a thing, everyone has their hang-ups. I’ve always though I’m pretty ugly.’

Fans might be worrying that James is about to go overboard with the Hollywood smile and end up looking like Simon Cowell or Joey Essex but he assured the public that he only wants them straighter and ‘maybe whitened a bit’, so it looks like bright white veneers are not on the cards for the twenty-four year old. He also said that he was planning to lose some weight, commenting that he ‘got proper fat since being on the show’ because his diet improved dramatically.

Only a short while ago it was announced that tooth whitening should only be carried out by trained professionals and that anything else could be a danger to the patient’s health; as a result, a teeth whitening trader has now been given a jail sentence as part of a crackdown on unsafe practices and hazardous products.

Barrington Armstrong-Thorpe, 64, was jailed for sixteen months after selling whitening products containing peroxide levels of up to 100 times the legal limit. Essex Trading Standards prosecuted the trader for breach of the Cosmetic Product Regulations Act 2008 and for misleading consumers; he denied any offence but was found guilty by a jury and sentenced this week.

Armstrong-Thorpe began selling the dangerous whitening products in 2005 through a company called Smile Brighter Marketing Limited and later through online retailers. The legal limit for hydrogen peroxide content is 0.1% but some of the online products sold by Mr Armstrong-Thorpe where found to be 103 times that limit, which could seriously damage tooth enamel.

Kevin Bentley, the council’s cabinet member in charge of trading standards said that ‘This conviction should act as a warning to other traders that may be trying to make money by selling these illegal goods. It should also be a reminder to our residents to only purchase goods like this from a reputable source.’

A new law has been passed to make it safer for consumers to undergo teeth whitening treatments, putting an end to illegal practitioners and untrained individuals providing similar services. The British Dental Health Foundation has welcomed the news that the European Council has ruled that whitening products containing or releasing between 0.1 and 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide can only be sold to a registered dental professional working from a clinic or surgery. This ruling should make the treatment process much more effective and improve safety standards substantially.

Dr Nigel Carter of the British Dental Health Foundation says that any type of bleaching carried out by beauticians could be dangerous to the health of the patient, adding that the procedure is often performed by individuals with no formal qualifications. The whitening gels used could also contain a much higher level of hydrogen peroxide, which can be bad for the teeth.

Dr Carter added that the treatments ‘may be cheaper but this comes at a real risk and a possibility of permanent damage to teeth and gums. Under the new law, our safety will no longer be jeopardised by illegal tooth whitening that can often leave lasting damage. By firmly outlawing tooth-whitening treatments carried out in beauty salons and whitening kiosks, we are no longer left confused by who can carry out the procedure. If you want your teeth whitened, you must now visit a dental practice.’

Tooth-whitening treatments that use peroxide to break down enamel stains are not allowed to be used on patients under the age of eighteen in Ireland, according to new rules from the EU. Fears have been growing recently that youngsters are damaging their teeth by undergoing this type of treatment in their teens.

Although the actual health risks are the same for older people, Dr Tom Feeney – of the Irish Dental Association – explains that under-eighteens have ‘younger gums and younger pores’, adding that ‘Hydrogen Peroxide can be very corrosive and too much of an irritant for young people. Some products that have been used for teeth whitening have up to thirty-five per cent food grade hydrogen peroxide, which can be very dangerous.’

Products on the market have also been restricted, so that consumers can only purchase whitening solution containing 0.1 per cent of the chemical. However, the IDA have warned that there are some products available online that have high levels of peroxide and can be very damaging to the teeth, so consumers need to be careful what they buy; taking advise from a dentist and getting the treatment done professionally is the best way to get positive results with a reduced risk factor.

It is thought that the new rules will make it safer for patients to undergo whitening treatment, as Dr Feeney explains ‘If someone wants to have their teeth whitened they will have to have a clinical exam and first treatment by a dentist.’

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been voted number one in the list of the UK’s worth celebrity teeth, close behind him was BBC presenter Andrew Marr, with actor Stephen Fry coming in third. According to the women polled in the study, brown or yellow teeth are the biggest turn off when it comes to first date impressions, and more than half of those asked said they would decline a second date with someone who had discoloured teeth.

Co-owner of LoveLite, Donnamarie McBride, who conducted the survey explained that ‘If you want to make a good impression there’s nothing better than a winning smile and you can’t have that if you’ve got badly discoloured teeth. Clearly that counts for celebrities just as much as everyone else.’ She also added that it wasn’t surprising to find Jeremy Clarkson at the top of the poll, given that he smokes heavily and isn’t interested in the so-called ‘Hollywood Smile’.

Although dental stains aren’t desirable, it seems that those at the opposite end of the spectrum haven’t fared any better; stars like Simon Cowell and TOWIE regulars Joey Essex and Chloe Sims were in the top five for worst cosmetically enhanced smile. Even after spending thousands of pounds on their teeth, it seems overly white, perfectly straight teeth are almost as unattractive as stained or discoloured teeth.

Their ad campaign is fronted by former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill and their claim is that brushing with toothpaste that contains baking soda can give you a bright, shiny smile, but now Arm & Hammer are having to concede defeat and pull the commercials after almost half of customers asked said they saw no improvement in the colour of their teeth.

The advertisement promises that the baking soda contained in Arm & Hammer toothpaste would give a ‘wow deep clean’ and could whiten teeth ‘brilliantly’ – also claiming to have been clinically tested to improve teeth by up to three shades or your money back. Contrary to this claim, the Advertising Standards Authority found that during a trial of the product 43% of users saw no change or were left with darker teeth; the commercials have now been banned in the UK.

The ASA judged the US brand to be making misleading claims and said that, in their opinion ‘the ad implied the product would whiten the teeth of regular users, and that some users of the product would achieve up to three shades of perceptible change on an incremental scale. Because the study was not sufficiently robust, and a significant proportion of subjects had darker teeth or no change after using the toothpaste, we concluded the whitening claims had not been substantiated.’

Following the investigation the TV advertising campaign and similar claims made on the company’s website have been banned.

The pressure on celebrities and TV stars to look perfect in front of the cameras has to be immense, but it seems presenter Frank Skinner doesn’t take that as an excuse for undergoing cosmetic treatment; the comedian has said that the trend for celebrities to get their teeth whitened to an unnatural finish is getting ridiculous.

The 55-year-old has focused on fellow English stars, namely ex-members of indie band Oasis, saying he won’t be taking advantage of the dental treatments on offer because it wouldn’t suit his face to have extremely white teeth. ‘I don’t want to be one of those celebrities, and we won’t name names,’ Frank explains, ‘who have gone for the very, very white, perfect, pristine teeth that they’ve had built and often with a rugged working-class face.’ Speaking on his Absolute Radio show, he actually did go on to ‘name names’ taking a pop at musician Noel Gallagher, saying ‘as an example, as a man who looks like he should have teeth like mine and in fact has got perfectly white ones.’

When asked what he would do if his own teeth started to fall out or look very discoloured, the radio host replied that he still wouldn’t attempt cosmetic surgery, joking that he would ‘rather go the Queen Mother route, in other words have small wooden ones.’

They might have the talent but producers of reality show The X-Factor still need to get their finalists ready for the big night next week, when they will perform live for the first time. The twelve finalists and four wild-card entrants have all been given a makeover to make sure they are looking their best in time for their first performances for the ITV talent competition. The first thing to be improved upon is their teeth – all the finalists have been for their teeth whitening – although that didn’t stop solo singer James Arthur from enjoying a cigarette whilst making his way to the London clinic.

Some of the other contestants seemed more excited to be getting their teeth bleached, with members of boy band GMD3 seen arriving at the clinic sporting huge smiles for the waiting photographers. Wildcard entry Amy Mottard was also seen chatting to James outside the dentists, looking pleased to be receiving some attention in the run up to the live shows.

Not everyone seemed so thrilled with the idea though, members of groups United J kept their faces out of view as they arrived for their appointment, some even pulled their hoods over their heads to hide from paparazzi. Wild card band member Staz Nair didn’t appear too pleased with the waiting photographers and rushed past with his fellow band members to get into the surgery without having his picture taken.