Want to avoid cavities? Try cranberry juice

Here's some good news for everyone: you don't have to worry about brushing your teeth anymore! That's right, just drink down some cranberry juice before you go to bed and let nature do the rest. Okay, so we're not quite there yet.

However, some new research coming out of the University of Rochester suggests that we may not be far away from cranberry-flavored toothpaste. According to the research, not only does this "miracle liquid" help prevent kidney infections, but it may also help fight against cavities. The article likens it to Teflon for teeth in that the juice makes it harder for all those nasty microbes and bacteria to stick to your fangs.

The U of R research team thinks that by attacking the bacteria, cranberry juice essentially renders plague-building enzymes useless. In doing so, the microbes aren't able to use those enzymes to make that gunk around your teeth. "Something in the cranberry juice disarms the pathogens that cause tooth decay," says Dr. Michel Koo, leading the team. Don't bother supplementing every meal with the stuff yet though, because scientists are busy trying to pick out that oh-so-important cavity-beating compound found in the juice to use in practical applications (like mouthwash and toothpaste ... mmm).