A recent study reports that one-third of Americans polled say the first thing they notice about a person is his or her smile. Thus, if you have stained teeth, the individual you meet may form an unfavorable opinion of you based on the way your ivories look. One of the newer techniques available now to address this problem is charcoal whitening, but is it safe? Your cosmetic dentist is weighing in to give you some details about this new trend.