Justin Bieber, patient cancellations and LED teeth: a check-up of February's dental news

Justin Bieber, patient cancellations and LED teeth: a check-up of February's dental news

Bieber's braces

American teen pop star Justin Bieber has been speaking about his struggle to straighten his teeth. The American idol told Rolling Stone magazine that he has been wearing a set of Invisalign braces on his teeth for the past year. He said: "The teeth were pointing inwards a little bit so they had to bring them out."

Recession leads to dental cancellations

UK patients with money worries are cancelling vital dental appointments.

That is the finding of a survey conducted by the British Dental Association (BDA) which revealed that 59 per cent of dentists have reported patients cancelling appointments. Even more worryingly, 68 per cent of dentists have said that patients have deferred treatment.

The BDA thinks that these cancellations and deferrals are the reason that a third of dentists have noticed a rise in the number of people seeking emergency treatment.

US tanning salon teeth-whitening dispute

In North Carolina, America, a legal dispute about whether tanning salons should be allowed to carry out teeth whitening procedures looks set to continue.

The legal representatives of tanning salons in the area argue that a dentist's monopoly' will drive the price up for patients.

But this month the state's dentists have hit back; launching a new federal court order.

If their action succeeds it could mean that only dental professionals would be allowed to carry out this highly-specialised procedure. Might this have a knock-on effect in the UK?

Vampire dental film

Northamptonshire health authority has posted a short film on YouTube which aims to motivate more young people to visit the dentist (40,000 young people in the county haven't visited the dentist in the last two years).

The film is named Mouth Wide Open' and features a raunchy scene where a vampire's romantic hopes are dashed by the bad breath coming from her fangs.

Golden Voice' gets shiny new teeth

The American homeless man who found fame through a YouTube clip is now the proud owner of a gleaming set of new teeth.

Former radio presenter Ted Williams put 20 years of drug addiction and homelessness behind him when 20million YouTube viewers watched a clip of him speaking by a roadside in Ohio.

The clip attracted the attention of radio stations and film voiceover agents keen to use a golden' speaking voice which has to be heard to be believed. The fame resulting from the clip has given him the money to carry out vital dental work so that he has new teeth to go with his new life.

Japan's glow-in-the-dark smiles

Japanese kids have started a trend for wearing LED inserts on their teeth which light up when they open their mouths to smile. The LED teeth can be controlled by remote control, a push of a button changing the colour of the teeth. There are so far no reports of how this new fashion accessory could affect dental health.

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