How to achieve that Hollywood smile

One of the first things we notice about people when we first meet them is their smiles. If they have a nice smile, we tend to be more drawn to them - which is why having nice teeth is so important if you want to bag a good first impression.

Whether it's for meeting prospective partners, impressing people in a job interview or simply for your own personal reasons, cosmetic dentistry can work wonders in improving self confidence and how others perceive you. So what are people doing to improve their teeth?

For starters, there's no better advice than daily maintenance. Brushing your teeth two to three times a day using a soft or medium toothbrush ensures that the everyday grime is removed, which is particularly important before you go to bed as this is the key period that nasty mouth germs get to work.

Sometimes daily brushing isn't enough to keep our smiles happy and other options have to be explored. If your problem stems from the colour of your teeth, help is at hand. Most people are aware of teeth whitening treatments but are less sure of what's available to them. There are actually several different options when it comes to this treatment and each has its own benefits, from cost to dramatic final effects.

Some teeth whitening treatments you can even do at home following a consultation with your dentist. Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and create a soft vinyl rubber tray for you to take home. You will be shown how to slip over your teeth to begin treatment using a gel that gently penetrates teeth and removes stains that have discoloured the enamel.

There are plenty of other options available, such as internal tooth whitening that is used on front teeth that have undergone root canal treatments in the past and are discoloured because of that. This treatment is particularly successful in restoring the self confidence of many people aware that their most visible teeth appear discoloured.

Another treatment is carried out by your dentist, who will apply a hydrogen peroxide gel that will bleach the stains from your teeth without damaging their structure, offering dramatic results in under an hour.

If you feel that your smile isn't entirely up to scratch and you want to perfect those Hollywood poses, it could be time to consider teeth whitening. The results are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face.