Scientists are working on a tooth tattoo that could aid dentists in a significant way.

This new tooth tattoo would have the ability to detect early signs of tooth decay.

This tooth tattoo is made up of a chemical sensor, which would be able to notice the early signs of decay. It would then alert a dentist about this information through a type of wireless technology.

The tattoo is currently being worked on by a research team at Princeton University. The technology involved in the tattoo is similar to the technology used in electronic key cards.

This information comes from a research paper, which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers believe this would be an extremely beneficial way to monitor tooth decay. More research is necessary on specific aspects of the tattoo, like whether or not the device could hold up against the brushing. More tests will be conducted to learn about this issue and others that arise before the tattoo would be available.

From Christine Bleakley to Coleen Rooney; from the entire cast of The Only Way Is Essex, to Desperate Scousewives and any other reality show you care to mention. Just take a look.

There’s also Sharon Osbourne, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Simon Cowell and Kate Beckinsale to the shiny pairs of Posh & Becks, X Factor judges Tulisa and Kelly Rowland, and reality stars Chantelle and Alex Reid and many more pictured here.

Each and every one of them with the kind of pimped-up, piranha-toothed, white-out dazzler of a grin that is the stuff of nightmares. What is going on? Obviously, a little bit of cosmetic dentistry is nothing new.

The pearlescent, day-glo delights of the average Hollywood smile have been with us for a while. A little tweak here, a little judicious filing there and ting! Starlets’ gnashers were shown at their very best.

Yet when did it become de rigueur, even covetable, for celebrity teeth to become so downright huge? So white? Not to mention so uniform and unnatural-looking? We are now in the age of the molar ice cap, where great curves of snow-white plastic teeth are the order of the day.

Today, slebs just love to have upper and lower horseshoes of monumental, blinging clackers packed so tightly into the gums that they can barely shut their mouths properly.

In this, the year of the veneer, teeth have become over-bleached, over-laminated, oversized and have taken root over here.

The slavish pursuit of a kind of highly unnatural dental flawlessness is what everyone — from reality wannabe to WAG to movie star — seems to want. That might be a worthwhile dental aim — if the end results weren’t quite so extreme and freakish.

Any charming or natural little dental imperfections are bulldozed out, replaced by a barrage of crowns, caps, veneers — where they are literally laminated with porcelain or plastic covers — bleaches and holy molar bling. What in the name of horsey smiles has happened?

‘I’ll tell you what has happened. They asked for a Hollywood smile — but they got a Goodwood smile instead,’ sighs dentist Harry Shiers, suggesting most of this crowd end up looking more like winners in the 3.15 handicap than elegant stars. And he should know.

Mr Shiers has run an eponymous Central London dental clinic for 15 years, where he specialises in aesthetic implant and reconstructive dentistry. Over time, his work has involved reconstructive dental surgery for those suffering from mouth cancer or who have, for example, been in car accidents. With his more  day-to-day patients he performs the kind of cosmetic procedures that have indeed become popular with celebrities — but with one big difference.

‘Of course it is good to improve teeth and make them look better — but in a natural, not an unnatural way,’ says Harry Shiers. ‘My thing is to try to do cosmetic work that does not jump out at you.’

Many experts like him despair of a new generation of opportunistic dentists who set up flashy websites promising white-out Hollywood smiles to clients — even if the laminating procedure that produces them might not be advisable.

Yet so many people get swallowed up in celebrity culture — whether they are celebrities or not — and convince themselves that they need a particular look, that anyone with the most basic dental training can now find clients willing to pay for a royal flush of veneers.

The problem, some experts believe, is that as cosmetic dentistry becomes more extreme and more people want it done, it will lead to dental problems in the future.

For teeth are not designed for dentistry, intensive or otherwise. They are designed so that we can eat. Sometimes, with disease, dentists can do clever things. And sometimes dentists can do things minimally that are quite clever.

However, trying to impose a totally new appearance to teeth without harming them in some way is impossible. If you want to make them bigger or whiter or brighter you have to file some of the tooth away in order to accommodate the veneer you are sticking on.

As Harry Shiers says: ‘Underneath the hard stuff is living tissue. You can only drill a tooth so many times before you compromise its vitality. Eventually, they start breaking or cracking. You are asking them to do something they are not meant to do. And if you are being invasive, there might well be a price to pay later.’

Well, try telling that to the cast of The Only Way Is Essex, who are among the worst offenders in the all-blinging tooth brigade. As they frequently tell each other on their show, looking nice costs money. 
But can anyone really afford to have a smile like this? Here, Harry inspects these celebrity photographs and gives them his tongue-in-cheek verdicts

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Gone are her old ever-so-slightly wonky teeth, in favour of a new row of perfect pearly whites – which reportedly cost her a cool £12,000.

Tulisa’s father Plato Contostavlos, confirmed the cosmetic dentistry to The Sun.

“She’s had her teeth done for 12k, why not if it makes her feel better?” he said. 

“She’s beautiful in my eyes because she’s my daughter, but it’s every girls’ dream to want to improve and and to want to look even more beautiful.”

“It’s the industry she’s in, she needs to look her best,” he added. 

Tulisa’s new smile will no doubt come under comparison to the shiny new set of teeth thatCheryl Cole treated herself to, not long before her debut on the X Factor panel.

Flossing, brushing and dodging fist fights might be the obvious ways to protect your teeth and gums, but diet also plays a crucial role. Here are nutritionist Anita Ellis’ recommendations for a perfect smile

Vitamin K

“This helps to build bone and keep your jaw healthy,” says Ellis. It’s found in kale and other green leafy vegetables, pistachio nuts, dairy and meat products.

Vitamin D and calcium

“Found in whitebait, cheddar cheese, sardines, milk and tofu, calcium maintains healthy bones and teeth,” says Ellis. Vitamin D, which you can get from fish oils, butter, eggs and liver helps to stimulates calcium’s absorption.

Coenzyme Q10

“This has been found to reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar, which can erode your gum tissue and your teeth,” says Ellis. It can be found in meat, nuts and oils, and is also available in supplement form.

Vitamin C

“Similarly to Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and boosts immunity, limiting bacteria in the mouth,” says Ellis. It’s abundant in colourful fruits and vegetables like oranges and peppers.

Phosphorus

“Phosphorus helps stop gum disease and bleeding,” says Ellis. Find it in eggs, fish, meat nuts, seeds and wheat germ.

Zinc and quercetin

“Zinc is useful because it speeds up healing,” explains Ellis. Add to this a daily dose of quercetin (a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory found in garlic, onion, fruits and vegetables and blue green algae) and your gums and teeth will thank you.

The dental world of the future will be one where patients grow their own new teeth, much like a 6-year-old.

Dentists will implant cells from a young tooth, then apply proteins to make it grow. Roots will grow into the jaw, dentin and enamel will form, and a new tooth will grow where there was once just a gum. The best part is it won’t hurt.

That’s just one of the dental techniques people will be able to take advantage of within a decade, if all goes well. Lasers, let alone archaic drills, will be a distant memory.

“That’s sort of the ultimate, down-the-road futuristic stuff,” said Erick Rabins, president and CEO of Dentigenix, a company that helps researchers get their cutting-edge technologies to market. “I’m not pessimistic, but there’s some mind-blowing molecular biology (that) has to go on before that’s going to happen.”

While we wait for scientists to crack tooth biology, many dental treatments will soon be painless, even pleasant. Dentists are already turning their offices into spas, replete with massages, videos and extensive music selections, along with laughing gas to order.

One new technology promises to eliminate the need not only for drilling but also for filling in the United States as early as next year. The HealOzone is already kicking drills and lasers to the ditch in Canada, Europe and Australia.

The machine generates ozone, which occurs naturally in the environment when ultraviolet radiation forces oxygen in the atmosphere to recombine temporarily into groups of three oxygen atoms (O₃). Lightning can also cause ozone to form, resulting in that characteristic rainstorm smell.

Ozone also happens to be an efficient killer of cavity-causing bacteria. The device and follow-up treatment not only kill cavities, but also reverse decay in all but the deepest cavities.

The machine channels air through “dryer beads” that suck moisture out of the ambient air to create ozone. A disposable silicone tip that hermetically seals the tooth delivers bursts of ozone. The dentist uses a handheld instrument to squirt a solution on the treated area, turning any remaining ozone back into oxygen, since ozone can be harmful if inhaled in large enough amounts (researchers in the United Kingdom recently learned that ozone killed more people than previously expected in the 2003 heat wave).

Later, patients use an oral rinse and spray for about two to three weeks; the treatments contain fluoride, calcium, zinc, phosphate and xylitol, which help strengthen and re-mineralize the tooth.

The machine can also sterilize dental instruments, kill bacteria during a root canal and treat gingivitis and bad breath. Researchers in the United Kingdom are studying its ability to whiten teeth as well.

KaVo, the company that makes the HealOzone as well as the popular Diagnodent laser cavity detector, has sold more than 200 HealOzone units in the United Kingdom, and just recently began sales in Australia and Canada. The company hopes the unit will be available in the United States by 2006, according to Angelika Goeppel, marketing manager at KaVo.

Other technologies will emerge on the road to the holy grail of home-grown teeth. Pam Yelick and her colleagues at the Forsyth Institute provided a glimpse into the future when they generated tooth crowns made of dentin and enamel from young pig “tooth buds.”

They’re working now to perfect the process by identifying the specific stem cells that engender the growth of dentin and enamel. Once they pinpoint the cells, they’ll likely be able to bioengineer teeth that don’t need replacement, just repair.

“A lot of this will lead to spinoff technologies,” Yelick said. “It would be to regenerate reparative dentin and enamel.”

Meanwhile, researchers at the Paffenbarger Research Center have already developed “smart fillings.” Unlike dumb amalgam or composite fillings that just fill a hole, smart fillings release calcium and phosphate ions when they come in contact with acids from tooth bacteria. The ions prevent and — if animal studies translate to humans — also repair cavities.

“If damage has already been done by the acid, the release of calcium and phosphate ions can repair this damage,” said Dr. Fred Eichmiller, director of the Paffenbarger center. He noted that human clinical studies to prove the re-mineralization effect are not yet complete.

The first smart filling on the market is Aegis from the Harry J. Bosworth Company, which costs about the same as regular fillings. Bosworth has also recently released a “smart” material for braces to prevent cavities from forming underneath difficult-to-clean hardware.

Another line of research could eliminate the need for most of this dental technology. Forsyth researchers hope to begin human clinical trials of a cavity vaccine soon. The vaccine worked in animals — it stimulated the immune system to prevent the development of cavities. In humans it would be squirted into the nose rather than injected or swallowed. The researchers anticipate a one-time treatment at 12 to 24 months of age would provide a lifetime free of cavities.

A cosmetic dentist has seen his dental treatments showcased to the world after a celebrity client tweeted an image of her fantastic results.

TV presenter Holly Willoughby posted an image of her virtually invisible orthodontic braces to her Twitter page, after they were fitted by cosmetic dentistry expert Dr Biju Krishnan.

The 30-year-old star tweeted a picture of her orthodontic treatment to fans, commenting: 'Brace yourselves, I've got braces... eek!'

When one fan asked her how long she would be keeping the braces on for, Holly tweeted back: 'Two months hopefully.'

Dr Krishnan, co-founder of the Lubiju dental clinic and VIP Smiles, in Edinburgh and London's Harley Street, was approached by the This Morning star to help her achieve the perfect smile.

She was fitted with a set of braces designed to give optimum results in usually just six months, or in Holly's case, as she replied to one fan, possibly as little as two

Under the clinic's ‘C-FAST' programme, (Cosmetically Focused Adult Straight Teeth) adults of all ages can achieve the perfect smile without the embarrassment of clunky braces, as the near invisible solution gently aligns and straightens the teeth, with minimum discomfort and embarrassment.

Dr Krishnan said: 'We are delighted to hear that Holly is happy with her results and her picture really captures the essence of the treatment – you really struggle to see where the braces are. I have treated a few celebrities in this way and the speed of treatment along with excellent aesthetics makes it a real winner.

'Many adults like Holly are not happy with their smile, but are reluctant to receive dental treatment due to the stigma attached to wearing braces. People often feel that braces are unsightly and clunky and would rather put up with hiding their smile.

'Today, however the face of dentistry is changing and clients can now choose from a range of subtle treatments which will help them achieve the perfect smile, without any of the embarrassment.

'C-FAST braces such as those that Holly has opted for are the perfect treatment for those who want straighter teeth and what's even better is that they can get the results they want in just a matter of months.

'Holly is a fantastic client to have, she is the perfect example of a confident and attractive adult looking to make the most of their natural beauty and get a smile they can be proud of showing off.

'I hope that Holly's tweet will inspire many more adults to come forward and find out more about how braces can help give them that winning smile.'

Dr Krishnan co-founded Lubiju cosmetic dental clinic in March 2009, concentrating on developing emerging hi-tech techniques in cosmetic dentistry.

The specially created ‘C-FAST' programme is one of the clinic's most popular offerings and provides a modern twist to traditional dentistry.

Using the best aspects of brace treatments, the treatment and materials have been modified to give adults a common sense cosmetic solution that can help make a difference.

Unique aspects of the treatment include, clear brackets and tooth coloured wires which are barely visible, low forces and short overall treatment time provide a gentle solution which is relatively less expensive than other treatments.

Dr Krishnan added: 'At Lubiju we strive to be at the forefront of the latest cosmetic and preventative dental treatments.

'From everything from teeth whitening and veneers to implants and maxillo-facial surgery, our experts provide treatments which are guaranteed to give the desired results. We pride ourselves on our unique offering and believe that we are one of the best dental treatment centres in the UK.'