Well, that just got easier for UK travelers, who can now get tooth whitening at the airport. Yes, the airport.

Passengers can make appointments at the Manchester and Birmingham airports for a 20-minute laser teeth whitening session before their flight departs. Patients can book online ahead of time, or even drop in for whitening at one of the 5-chair clinics.

The teeth bleaching program, launched under the name of "Smile Company," is an offshoot of Brighter White Teeth Company, and uses a tooth whitening process developed in the US.

And of course, while patients get rid of their yellow teeth at the airport, they're also welcome to pick up at-home teeth whitener products…

"Coffee, anyone? Peanuts? Teeth whiteners?"

Read more: Tooth whitening? Try before you fly

“If people want ‘toilet bowl teeth,’ so what?" asked one cosmetic dentist. "Too white? Isn't that like being too rich?"

“I still see 5-10 patients daily asking about teeth bleaching who have never done any teeth whitening previously," offered another dentist.

Dentists still see many patients asking about tooth whitening and procedures like laser teeth whitening that can only be done in a dentist's office. However, many patients choose over-the-counter teeth whiteners (often containing carbamide peroxide) to get the white teeth they desire.

Read more about whitening in the dentist's office: Are Today’s Consumers Over-Whitening Their Teeth?

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) recently conducted a study on how people’s teeth affect how they are perceived. Respondents saw a random sampling of “before” and “after” photos of cosmetic dentistry patients, and were asked to rate each person along several dimensions (attractiveness, intelligence, happiness, success, and other positive attributes).

The pictures of those who had had cosmetic dental work were rated higher along all dimensions. That means that people with better teeth were perceived as smarter, more attractive, happier, more successful, kinder and wealthier than those with crooked or dingy smiles.

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