It wasn't too long ago when people only visited a dentist when they needed their teeth repaired. The idea of going to a dentist to improve your looks was almost taboo a couple of decades ago. But now it's a whole different ball game. As Dr. Mopper says; "We're in the realm of the plastic surgeon. People come to you because they want their look changed."

See a good overview of the changing world of dental esthetics here.

Here's a video ad to promote Empress Veneers. This guy had eight veneers placed on his front teeth. (Does he not look like a very handsome happy beaver or what?!)

There's more beauty pagaent scandal hitting the news today. Christine Silva was crowned Miss California last year but then was told it was a mistake and dethroned just three days later. She is suing the pageant for half a million dollars, alleging rigging and racial bias.

Shown here is Miss USA 2006 who created a scandal of a different kind. See a slide show at ABC about beauty queens gone bad: Tarnished Tiaras

The Birkin bag is a series of handbags by Hermes that cost a minimum of $8,000 each. And you can't buy one now unless you're willing to pay a big premium. The waiting list is about two years long.

Michael Tonello's new book about the buying and selling of Birkin bags will hit bookstores soon. Tonello says that a Birkin on your arm "tells other women your place in society. It sort of suggests to them that you are successful, that you have money, that you are someone, or else Hermès wouldn't be selling you this bag."

Tonello is a makeup artist and hairdresser who started a very lucrative site on eBay selling all things Hermes. His book recounts his year of traveling the world, scouting out Birkin bags, reselling them on eBay and all the adventures and craziness he experienced in this pursuit. He tells us how he accidentally discovered a secret formula that gave him access to the Hermés Birkin bag vault.

See Bringing Home the Birkin.