Electric toothbrushes used by one in three

A CROOKED British smile was once considered a charming asset but it is rapidly going out of fashion.

Old-style manual toothbrushes are being ditched in favour of electric versions, now used by one in three Britons, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

There has also been a dramatic rise in demand for dental cosmetic treatment, with people willing to spend thousands of pounds to get a winning smile. Private dentists have a collective turnover of more than £1billion a year from cosmetic treatments such as invisible braces, smile analysis and sonic polishing.

The pursuit of an American-style perfect white smile means toothpaste and toothbrush makers are now Britain’s fastest growing health and beauty companies. Of the top 20 most chosen health and beauty brands, four are oral care brands, with Colgate leading Oralb, Aquafresh and Listerine.

But dentists may be disappointed to learn that instead of being due to a growing concern with oral hygiene, the increase is actually down to a desire for whiter teeth.

With British social media users increasingly keen to flood Instagram and other sites with images of themselves, sales of whitening products have increased by more than 10 per cent since 2013, adding almost £8million to the value of the market. Toothpaste brands are aware of the trend – last year Colgate sponsored the television series Britain’s Next Top Model.