Celebrity oral care secrets

While it may seem like a simple matter for celebrities - with their personal assistants and oral health experts - to maintain white teeth and fresh breath, many of the techniques they use are available to everyday people. Knowing their secrets may help brighten your smile and fix your bad breath problem.

Dentist to the stars Debra Glassman, whose celebrity followers include Leighton Meester and Jennifer Hudson, recently shared many of the dental health tips that she provides to her clients with Elle Magazine. She recommends staying away from citrus fruits, as these contain acids that can weaken teeth and make them more susceptible to stains.

"You have to be careful, because these fruits can erode enamel away," she told the magazine. "Never suck on lemons or limes that you put in your ice tea."

She added that it may be a good idea to swirl water in your mouth after you drink tea or coffee, as this may remove residue that can cause dark stains and contribute to bad breath.

Many of the treatments used by celebrities are also available at local drug store and other sources. London dentist Aamer Kahn recently wrote in the Daily Express that simple whitening strips are a common technique used by Hollywood starlets to whiten their smile. These simple and inexpensive treatments can bring a certain amount of luster back to a smile that has lost its shine.

In addition to whitening treatments, many celebrities turn to specialty breath-freshening products, as there are few things worse to those in the public spotlight than ending up on the gossip pages for an embarrassing bad breath problem.

These products may include toothpastes, mouthwashes and other oral care accessories that are specially designed to eliminate the bacteria and food particles that are the source of many people's bad breath. Traditional dental hygiene products may not have the bacteria-fighting ability necessary to fix bad breath problems. No amount of brushing or rinsing with these items may help those with particularly stubborn bad breath.

A growing number of stars are turning to TheraBreath's line of products, which have been formulated by a man who is known in Hollywood as the "Bad Breath Guru." These toothpastes and mouthwashes have helped many celebrities fix their bad breath problems, and it may help you, too.