Toothpaste manufacturer Colgate has predicted the future of dentistry.

Colgate has published its predictions of what it feels will be the major developments for dentistry over the next decade.

The company claimed that by 2020, remote dentistry will have taken off, with dentists now making house calls and visits to offices to carry out simple procedures and offer check-ups.

In addition, it predicted a new generation of technology for improving oral health, including the invention of a handheld device that can check everything from plaque and bacteria to infection and how recovery from treatments is progressing.

Finally, the firm noted “the perfect smile” will start to take on a greater significance, with success being a measure of a person’s pearly whites.

Elsewhere, the company recently announced the launch of its new toothpaste designed to help tackle the problem of sensitive teeth.

Its Sensitive Pro-Relief product contains a special formula which it claims blocks the pores in the teeth that lead to the nerves, thereby reducing sensitivity.