If you're concerned about your dental health (and I hope you are), one of the best investments you can make is in an electric toothbrush. Research has shown that the circular motion made by electric toothbrushes is more effective than the up and down motion made by a standard hand-held brush.

Years ago, owning an electric toothbrush meant shelling out a pretty penny, but that's no longer necessarily the case. You can get a battery powered toothbrush for under $10, although you certainly can still spend over $100 for a good rechargeable one.

Consumersearch.com has some of the top ranked toothbrushes -- click through the gallery to see which might be the best match for your mouth. After all, while it's great to have toned abs and firm thighs, a beautiful, healthy smile is often the first thing people notice, and you owe it to yourself to keep it that way!

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Are your pearly whites not so pearly... or white? You may be surprised at the reasons. Certain foods, drinks, and other items can stain your teeth.

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

You eat right, you exercise, you maintain a healthy weight. You do everything you can to protect your health now and in the future. But do those healthy habits extend to your mouth? Even though dental health may not always seem like a fitness category, your mouth is connected to your overall health. Make sure you take care of it with regular visits to your dentist and consider these tips that other health bloggers have shared.

Julie's Health Club shares natural ways to take care of your teeth. Expert Village (via Dental Heroes) has a video on the proper way to brush your teeth, as well as how to select a toothbrush. Finally, Teeth and Dental Care has ideas for keeping kids' teeth healthy.

Happy brushing!

Got a blog you'd like to see featured on Fit Links? Share it with us in comments!

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I adopted my son at age 10. Since he was at an age that I felt was capable of self-care skills, I didn't do more about his dental health than remind him to brush and floss. Then, one morning, I happened to be brushing my own teeth at the same time as he was brushing his. Well, the word "brushing" doesn't really apply to what he was doing. Rather than brushing, he did a quick swipe across the surface of his teeth and called it good. Needless to say, we've had a few lessons on how to properly care for your teeth and I supervise him more closely now.

A recent survey by the British Dental Health Foundation shows that lots of kids may not be getting the daily dental care that they need. The survey revealed that more than one in five children under five were left unsupervised when brushing their teeth. Odds are, these unsupervised kids were doing a lick and promise type of tooth-brushing like my son was. In addition, the survey showed that 1/4 of parents thought brushing once a day was enough, and 67% thought that a minute of brushing was sufficient (two minutes are recommended).

Proper dental care is so important for kids. Check out the gallery for some ideas to help care for your kids' teeth.

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Suckers, licorice, gummi bears, fruit snacks -- those are just a few of the sweet, chewy treats that dentists advise parents to keep out of their kids' hands (and mouths) to protect their teeth from cavities.

But what if candy could actually prevent cavities? Researchers at the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine have developed CaviStat, a substance that neutralizes cavity-causing acids in the mouth. It's the active ingredient in BasicMints, a sticky candy that actually prevents cavities. Kids who used BasicMints once a day, in addition to brushing with flouride toothpaste, had 61.7 percent fewer cavities than kids who practiced brushing alone.

The next step is FDA approval, so don't plan on looking for BasicMints on store shelves for quite some time.

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Is there a link between childhood obesity and dental health? University of Rochester researchers studied two separate surveys in an attempt to find out. The combined surveys polled over 17,000 youths. Researchers anticipated finding that overweight children tended to have poorer dental health because poor eating habits are a cause of both obesity and cavities. But the surveys don't support that hypothesis. Findings included:

• No dental health difference was noted in 2-5-year-olds regardless of weight range
• One of the surveys showed that 6-11-year-old children who were overweight or at risk of being overweight were actually less likely to have cavities in both baby and permanent teeth. The later survey revealed no difference in dental health when compared to weight.
  
• As in the 6-11 category, the first survey showed that 12-18-year-olds who were overweight were less likely to have dental health issues; the second survey showed no correlation between dental health and weight.
  

Rather than stating that there is no official link between pounds and dental health, researchers are stating that the results are inconclusive.

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For the first time ever, a sweet tooth could be beneficial for... well... your teeth. A UCLA scientist has developed a lollipop that helps fight cavities. The developer of the lollipop studied more than 2,000 different herbs in an attempt to find a combination that would naturally fight the bacteria that leads to cavities. The surprising winner was licorice. When prepared a certain way -- soaked and then turned into a powder by evaporating all the liquid -- licorice root offers protection against cavities.

The lollipop's creator claims that if you suck on one of these herbal lollipops twice a day (e.g. one in the morning and another in the evening) for 10 days, your teeth will be protected from cavities for 3-6 months. Then you can start the lollipop-process all over again. Using the lollipops doesn't replace brushing/flossing your teeth or visiting the dentist, of course. It's just touted as extra protection against cavities.

Because the lollipops are all natural, herb-based products they don't require FDA approval. Therefore, none of the claims have been tested or verified by the FDA.

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Maybe you know you have it and want to fix it. Maybe you don't know you have it, and your friends are trying to figure out a tactful way to tell you. Either way, bad breath -- or its more scientific name halitosis -- isn't a friend to anyone.

Bad breath can be blamed on the food you eat, but it's also sometimes an indicator of an underlying problem. The Times Online recently reviewed popular bad breath solutions. Some of them are tried and true, and some are based on little more than word of mouth:

Tried, but not yet proven to be helpful:

• chewing on parsley
• chewing special gum
• eating yogurt
• chewing fennel seeds
• chewing magnolia gum

Some research indicates it might help:

• rinsing with antibacterial mouthwash
• brushing with baking soda
• popping peppermint oil
• scraping your tongue

Proven health habits to keep bad breath at bay:

• staying hydrated
• munching on fruit
• brushing frequently
• quitting smoking
• eating breakfast
• flossing daily
• seeing dental and medical professionals to rule out underlying problems

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When it comes to dental care, you already know that brushing and flossing are high priority. But did you know that what you eat and when you eat it can also have a significant impact on the state of your teeth and gums as well? For instance, eating sweets for a snack in between meals exposes your teeth to decay causing bacteria several times a day, but if you save them for after dinner, you can limit the damage. Other tips include:

• Avoid all gum, unless it's sugarless.
• Enjoy your coffee, then put your cup away. When you sip all day, you expose yourself to decay all day too.
• Stay hydrated. Water doesn't activate those pesky bacteria, plus it can wash away food.
• Avoid sticky and chewy candies and chewing on hard things like ice.
• Get your fruits and veggies.

There are a lot of factors that determine your dental health, but these tips can help anyone prevent problems down the road.

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Good nutrition can do a lot to boost your health and prevent problems down the road. But did you know that you can protect your teeth by eating right as well? What to eat and when to eat it just may surprise you:

• Save your carbs for mealtime (and don't snack on them in between).
• Drink green and black tea.
• Use a straw to drink acidic drinks.
• Eat cheese when you don't have access to a toothbrush.
• Eat foods like shiitake mushrooms, cranberries, celery, and carrots.

Click here to find out why and to learn more about protecting your teeth naturally.

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With all the "fluoride" toothpaste, drinking water and other products meant for oral hygiene, apparently kids on Oregon didn't get the memo. Pediatric dentists there say that dental health of kids in that state have not improved.

Most likely, it's because of the sugary foods may kids are eating (at least in my opinion). Dr. Cate Quas, a pediatric dentist, even said that "I see horrendous stuff in preschoolers." In preschoolers? Wow -- that is amazing (and really scary).

Want an example? Dr. Quas said she recently pulled 10 of a little boy's 20 teeth because the decay was so extensive. What could be causing so much decay in the mouths of kids? Soda? Snacks? Sugary cereals?

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