Why are so many people spending money on cosmetic dentistry?

Having forked out for their children’s dental work, parents now want to invest in their own teeth. Helen O’Callaghan looks at the growing celeb-driven market for cosmetic dentistry.

IT’S my turn now! Words rarely heard by orthodontists 10 years ago. But now, mid-lifers — ultra-conscious their smiles need a tune-up — are saying just this: It’s my turn.

“Parents whose children are coming in for treatment will send the kids out and come back to you and say ‘we need to do something about my teeth’,” says Dr Robin Foyle, president-elect of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) and a practising dentist in Wexford.