Katy Perry - Perry Anal About Dental Hygiene, Follows Spears' Example

KATY PERRY brushes her teeth at least three times daily because she never wants to be accused of having bad breath.

The pop star admits she was too poor to take her dental hygiene seriously when she was a child, but Britney Spears videos made her start brushing religiously - and now she's proud of her minty fresh breath and shining smile.

In a new YouTube.com interview, she says, "I brush my teeth all the time. I wanted them to be, like, Britney Spears-white. I used to grow up seeing her music videos and be like, 'What does she do? Does she get a new set of teeth all the time? They're so white.'

"I'm really anal about that because I like good breath. A turn off for me with guys is, like, halitosis... I'm the kind of friend that's like, 'Stick a piece of gum in your mouth, 'cos I'm gonna save some friendships for you.'

"I'll brush my teeth (after) breakfast, lunch and dinner... I did have 13 cavities at one time, so you can imagine why I'm so freaked out. When I was a kid I didn't really go to the dentist a lot... and when I finally went, they were like, 'You might as well get a new set of teeth'."

But, despite all her efforts, Perry fears she'll never have the perfect smile.

She explains, "I have really jacked-up bottom teeth and I went to dentist to try and get it fixed... Thank God my lower lip covers my top lip... I don't grin from ear to ear because I'm embarrassed."