Many Britons are choosing to whiten their teeth in an effort to keep their smile as dazzling as possible.

Karen Coates, dental advisor for the British Dental Health Foundation, said that staining is one of the main reasons that people choose to have their teeth whitened.

She commented: "Even curry has the potential, if it’s highly coloured, to be staining [the teeth]. Many people do have their teeth whitened and there are more instances of it certainly."

Ms Coates made her comments following the publication of research by Align Technology – the makers of Invisalign braces – showing almost half (46 per cent) of women between the ages of 25 and 54 feel embarrassed about their teeth.

The editors of Good Housekeeping recently published advice on making a person’s smile brighter on MSN.com and noted that not all teeth will be suitable for teeth whitening, as people with fillings or grey – rather than yellow teeth – might not react well to the treatment.