Rather than subjecting herself to the usual American-style treatment in order to create a perfect set of teeth, she reportedly placed herself in the hands of a pioneering French dentist who specialises in what is called “harmonious asymmetry”.
The work was apparently carried out by Didier Fillion, a London-based dental surgeon who has also worked with the teeth of Kelly Brook, Sadie Frost and John Galliano.
Dr Fillion’s close friend and colleague Bernard Touati has now said that his work on the Duchess involved “micro-rotations” of her teeth to create an improved, but still natural look.
Dr Touati claimed in an interview with The Times magazine that Dr Fillion did Kate’s teeth, stating: “They aren’t absolutely aligned. In the United States they want teeth that are symmetrical, monochromatic, artificial.
“He did some little micro-rotations on Kate Middleton so that it looks like a natural, healthy smile, but not artificial.”
The result is achieved by using braces to shift subtly the alignment of the teeth while still retaining their natural shape or by creating the illusion of minor rotations by grinding and polishing the enamel surface or adding porcelain veneers or chips to the teeth.
According to David Winkler, of the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry, the trick is to achieve what he calls "harmonious asymmetry".
Dr Fillion says: “Teeth that look like piano keys are not good, so we try to give back some details, maybe a space we don’t close, or a shorter incisor. Tom Cruise? Too perfect for me. After my treatment most of my patients do not need veneers.”
Dr Fillion’s speciality is to attach invisible braces to the back of his patients' teeth. He can show his patients what the final result will look like by using 3D computer software. “So if you say, ‘I don’t like this tooth, can you change it?’ I can change it.”
Dr Touati’s revelation that Dr Fillion worked on the Duchess of Cambridge’s teeth at his practice in Wimpole Street would appear to explain the dramatic change in Kate’s smile, from when she first emerged as a gauche student at St Andrews University to the confident public figure we see today.
It had been previously reported that the Duchess had her teeth worked on when she began to find herself more and more in the public eye, first as Prince William's girlfriend and then fiancee, but the identity of the dentist has so far remained a secret.
Asked if he had worked on the Duchess’s teeth Dr Fillion told The Times: “I can’t say anything. I am sorry. I can’t confirm or deny it.”
But if Dr Touati is correct Kate would have expected to pay around £3,000 for the work, though that can rise to £10,000 if there are a lot of extractions to be done.
Dr Touati charges £860 for a filling and the same amount for whitening, at his Paris studio, in Avenue Montaigne.
Seventy five per cent of Dr Fillion’s patients are women, with the majority aged 30 to 40. Once a month he flies to Monaco to treat the principality’s royal family. He also has a clinic in Geneva, where he treats patients from Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia.
Explaining his technique Dr Fillion said: “In Europe we want something more adapted to each personality, not like America. Tom Cruise’s teeth are too perfect for me. I don’t like teeth that look like piano keys.”
The growth of celebrity culture appears to have encouraged more people to aspire to nicer looking teeth.
Dr David Winkler, president of the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry, said: “People want whiter, brighter, straighter teeth and the NHS doesn’t do any of that. It deals with diseases and broken teeth.”
Dr Touati has treated not only some of France’s top celebrities, but also Boris Yeltsin’s wife Nadia, who was followed by Mr Yeltsin himself. As word spread around the Russian oligarchy about the Moroccan-born dentist’s ability to work wonders on crooked teeth, the likes of Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FC’s owner, began to use him.
In fact, Mr Abramovich had a fully equipped dental clinic installed in his Moscow home and flies Dr Touati over in his private jet for regular check-ups.
“But I don’t do this job just to be the dentist to the stars,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for 41 years because I love it. They open their mouths for me, but I will not open my mouth to tell you their secrets.”
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