Kate Moss was guessed as older with her real teeth. Photo / Getty
Kate Moss was guessed as older with her real teeth. Photo / Getty
Having bad teeth can make you look up to 12 years older, say experts.
Researchers found that stains caused by smoking, drinking coffee or red wine and a lack of brushing lead others to overestimate your age.
But if you have gleaming white teeth, they think you are younger thanyou really are.
In a study carried out by dentists, a panel of 1,000 were shown photos of models. In some of the pictures they had white teeth, while others showed them with light or heavy staining.
Images of Kate Moss with clean and stained teeth were presented in the study. Photo / Getty
When shown a photo of a female model in her 30s, participants estimated she was 31 with white teeth, 37 with mild stains and 43 with heavily-stained teeth - a difference of 12 years.
They guessed a male model, also in his 30s, was 28 with clean teeth, 32 with mild stains and 38 with heavy ones - a gap of ten years.
The team from Carisbrook Dental, in Manchester, also showed participants photos of celebrities, including smoker Kate Moss. She was guessed to be 41 - her real age - with her own teeth but 35 with cleaned teeth.
