There is a new meaning to the phrase "a glittering smile" in Frinton.

Jill Bartlett has become trained in the use of Smile Gems - small coloured stones which are stuck to a tooth with dental adhesive - and she hopes this will open the gates for other body additions such as temporary tattoos.

And even though her business is based in Connaught Avenue, the shopping street famously described as the Bond Street of East Anglia, the gems do not mean diamonds or rubies.

It cost £14 to have one of the tiny stones - similar to those used in costume jewellery - fitted and they can last for up to three months.

Ex-model Mrs Bartlett, 53, of Hadleigh Road, Frinton, had been a legal secretary and a furntiture restorer before repetitive strain injury forced her to rethink her future.

Smile Gems, which can also be fitted to nails, are available only to people aged over 16 unless accompanied by a parent.

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