If you are looking for teeth whitening in Wheathampstead, you may be asking yourself whether you should go to a professional to have it done using tried-and-tested procedures, or whether to opt for a novel new method endorsed by a bunch of celebrities.

The latest product people can try at home is a toothpaste called Hismile, which is now stocked by Boots and has been endorsed by several famous figures, such as Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Millie Bobby Brown and Lily Allen, the Daily Mail reports.

With the product also being popularised by Twitter, many will have a go at using it despite the unattractive price of £6 a tube and the even more ghastly purple colour.

The theory is that the active ingredient Phthalimido Peroxy Caproic Acid (PAP) breaks down stains when it is oxidised, causing yellow tinges to disappear. Hismile has said tests have shown PAP is more effective than the hydrogen peroxide used in other toothpaste products.

However, this purple solution for yellow teeth is a red herring, according to Dr Vikas Prinja, a London-based dental surgeon and member of the Royal College of Surgeons’ Faculty of Dental Surgery, who said the benefits of this treatment cannot last.

He told the Mail the science behind the claims for PAP “does make sense”, but the oxidising effect will not last long due to the fact that the chemical state of the oral environment will continually change as people eat, drink and brush their teeth.

“So any time you do any of those things, it means it all gets washed off. So it’s really just a temporary special effect,” Dr Prinja noted.

The NHS has noted that the effects of professional whitening treatment can last for months or even years, so it’s not hard to work out what your best bet is.