Dental history that you can get your teeth into

The quest for pearly whites is not a new phenomenon, with records at the University Dental School and Hospital in Cork showing cosmetic dentistry began more than 100 years ago.

Women, in particular, were interested in the quality of the smile, with some electing to have their teeth replaced by white dentures before they got married.

Hospital dean Finbarr Allen said it was still the case that older patients with full dentures asked for white teeth when replacing them: “What we find now is that people who were rendered toothless back in those days and are having to have their dentures replaced always want their teeth to be white. They don’t want them to be what you might consider to be a natural colour for an older person”