She found fame on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Cheshire, but long before the cameras started rolling, Dr Hanna Kinsella was already transforming smiles. Now, with thriving businesses in both the UK and Mallorca, as well as a teeth-whitening product range flying off the shelves, Dr Hanna talks to Lizzie Hayman about following her passion, preserving natural beauty, and why healthy teeth will always matter more than chasing perfection.
For many of us reality tv fans Dr Hanna Kinsella is best known as one of the glamorous faces of The Real Housewives of Cheshire. But beyond the television cameras lies a career built on determination, artistry and helping people feel more confident in themselves.
As the owner of Kiln Lane Dental in St Helens and founder of oral care brand Icy Bear, Hanna has spent years transforming smiles. Today, she divides her time between her successful UK dental practice and family life in Mallorca, where she lives with her husband and children, who attend international school.
Although dentistry now feels like the obvious career choice, Hanna admits it wasn’t always the plan.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she says. “Weirdly, I was very artsy rather than sciency at school.” That all changed during a work experience placement with a cosmetic dentist.
“I didn’t think dentistry was going to be for me,” she laughs. “But I went and did work experience with a cosmetic dentist and I was just blown away.”
Watching him complete a cosmetic case proved to be a defining moment.
“There was a woman crying in the chair, hugging him and saying, ‘Oh my God, you’re giving me my confidence back.'”
It wasn’t simply the dentistry that inspired her. It was the impact it had on people’s lives.
“He said to me, ‘Dentistry is art. You’re recreating people’s smiles, you’re giving them confidence.’ Honestly, he was the one who made me think, ‘Wow… I need to do this.”
There was just one obstacle.
“My grades at the time were terrible,” Hanna admits candidly. “They weren’t good enough to do dentistry.”
For many people, that might have been the end of the dream. For Hanna, it became the beginning.
“I was absolutely determined. Summers were spent revising and putting in the extra work. I was just hell bent on being a dentist.”
That determination has remained with her throughout her career.
Putting Patients at Ease
Ask most people what they dislike about visiting the dentist and the answer is usually the same: fear.
Hanna understands that completely.
“I had a little bit of a bad experience when I was younger,” she recalls. “Like any child, it’s scary.”
Perhaps that’s why communication has become one of the aspects of dentistry she enjoys most.
“A lot of people have phobias, but I was always very good at speaking to patients and making them feel at ease.”
Helping someone overcome that anxiety is every bit as rewarding as the treatment itself.
“Getting to a point where people are not scared and they’re quite happy for you to do what you do, that in itself is a little achievement.”
Choosing Cosmetic Dentistry
Although Hanna initially loved paediatric dentistry during her training and completed placements at King’s College Hospital, it was cosmetic dentistry that ultimately captured her imagination.
“When I first started my training, I absolutely loved paediatric dentistry,” she says. “Actually, Icy Bear was supposed to be a children’s brand to begin with. That was always my vision.”
As her career progressed and she completed a Master’s in cosmetic dentistry, another passion emerged.
“I fell in love with it,” she says. “I fell in love with smile makeovers and giving patients their confidence and their smiles back.”
Her practice naturally evolved to reflect that passion.
“It really could have gone one way or the other,” she says. “Either cosmetic or paediatric. It just so happened the demand went down the cosmetic route.”
Healthy Before Perfect
With social media full of dazzling white smiles and dramatic smile transformations, Hanna is keen to separate trends from good dentistry.
“I’m not a fan of artificial looking teeth,” she says.
Years of studying dental anatomy have shaped her philosophy.
“We spend years studying how things should look. You want to replicate nature. You want to enhance what you’ve got rather than take it all away and replace it with something that looks fake.”
It’s a balanced view that also extends to the growing trend of travelling overseas for cosmetic treatment.
“There are fantastic dentists abroad,” she says. “You can’t generalise.”
Her concern isn’t where treatment takes place; it’s whether patients fully understand the long-term consequences.
“We’re taught preservative dentistry. Don’t drill unless it absolutely needs it.”
She explains that every time healthy tooth structure is removed, it changes that tooth forever.
“Dentistry is for life. You get one set of teeth.”
For Hanna, informed decisions are everything.
“People aren’t always aware of the consequences five, ten or fifteen years down the line.”
Building Icy Bear
After years spent transforming patients’ smiles in the clinic, Hanna saw first hand how oral health and self esteem are intrinsically linked. But she also recognised a problem: the market was saturated with products promising quick fixes, yet many lacked the clinical credibility patients deserved.
Instead of simply recommending what was already available, she decided to create something better. The result was Icy Bear – a science-led oral care brand combining professional expertise with accessible, everyday products designed to help people smile with confidence. Today, alongside her successful dental career and television appearances, Hanna is proving that great entrepreneurship often begins by solving a problem encountered every single day.
Routine, Routine, Routine…Getting it right, staying consistent..
“The first step is mouthwash,” she explains.
It’s advice that surprises many people.
“A lot of people think you use mouthwash at the end of your routine, but you shouldn’t because it has less fluoride than toothpaste. If you use it afterwards, you’re washing away all the goodness from your toothpaste.”
After mouthwash clean your tongue using a stainless-steel tongue scraper.
Then floss.
Brush using whitening toothpaste.
Finally spit don’t rinse.
“Leave the toothpaste sitting on your teeth.”
She recommends cleaning the tongue daily to remove bacteria that can contribute to bad breath, alongside regular flossing to clean areas a toothbrush simply can’t reach.
Icy Bear’s whitening products use PAP technology rather than peroxide, offering a gentler way to brighten smiles without damaging enamel.
“It’s not going to weaken your teeth and it doesn’t make them sensitive.”
A New Chapter in Mallorca
These days, Hanna’s life is split between Mallorca and the UK.
Although her dental practice continues to thrive in St Helens, home is now under the Mediterranean sun with her husband and children.
It’s a lifestyle she clearly loves.
Life After Housewives
While many viewers still associate Hanna with The Real Housewives of Cheshire, she says that chapter of her life has naturally come to an end.
“I don’t mind going back as a cameo or as a guest,” she says, “but the way this business is growing, there’s no way I could fit filming in now.”
Business and family take priority.
Looking back, though, there are moments she still treasures.
“I miss the friendships,” she says warmly. “I’ve made really good connections with Rachel, with Seema and some of the cast members.”
Although life has moved on, those friendships remain the part of the experience she values most.
Confidence Starts With Care
If there’s one message Hanna hopes people take away, it’s that confidence isn’t about chasing perfection.
It’s about looking after what you already have.
Whether she’s treating nervous patients, creating natural-looking smiles or educating people through Icy Bear, her philosophy remains the same.
Healthy teeth first.
Beautiful smiles second.
Because, as the cosmetic dentist who first inspired her all those years ago taught her, dentistry isn’t just science.
Sometimes, it’s art.
Hanna in 60 Seconds
Describe yourself in one word: Ambitious.
Guilty pleasure: Chilli Heatwave Doritos.
Comfort food: A stodgy pizza.
Last Google search: For a dog groomer in Mallorca.
Favourite emoji: 😂
Most-used app: Instagram… although Shopify is a close second.
Hidden talent: I can do the worm.
Celebrity you’d love to have dinner with: Hailey Bieber – “I’d love to chat about how she built Rhode.”
Celebrity smile you’d most like to treat: I’d like to get Simon Cowell in the chair!
