TEETH WHITENING

Get the need-to-know before you try it

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Any beautician will tell you that having a nice set of pearly whites is one of the key tricks to looking youthful - making teeth whitening yet another procedure to add to the neverending list of self-maintenance. Thanks to social media, this emphasis on having shiny white teeth is growing. The 2021 Australian Dental Association (ADA) consumer surveys found that 22 per cent of Australians are whitening their teeth - which is an eight per cent increase since 2017.

According to ADA spokesperson, Professor Laurence Walsh, there's more to good dental hygiene than just the colour of your chompers.

"There is a belief that white teeth equal healthy teeth, though this is not always the case," he says.

THE METHODS