It's no surprise that candy isn't good for dental health. But as popularity of sour candies rises, so does the rate of tooth decay.

Most of these sour candies have extremely low pH levels -- as a comparison, battery acid has a pH level of 1 as do many of these candies. Some of the candies are so acidic they can cause permanent damage to tooth enamel -- particularly in young children whose protective enamel is immature. Gummy and sticky candies seem to cause the most damage because of the length of time kids suck on them before chewing and swallowing.

While it's best to avoid these treats altogether, if you're going to let your children indulge, make sure they don't suck or chew on them for a long time and have them rinse their mouths with water afterwards. A glass of milk can also help neutralize the acid from the candy. Don't have your ckids brush their teeth immediately after eating sour candy -- brushing the surface after an acid attack can actually increase the damage the acid causes.

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As a follow up to my recent post on how mouthwash may actually be causing your bad breath, I thought it would be fitting to write again on the topic of proper oral care (I'm sure there are plenty of disappointed people who ended up at this site after Googling those last two words). Specifically, I wanted to tackle the question of whether soft drinks are bad for your teeth.

Obviously, the high amount of sugar in soft drinks can wreak havoc on your teeth, so that's pretty much a given. Does this mean that you're in the clear if you drink sugar-free soft drinks? Not at all, says an article that appears in the November 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) clinical, peer reviewed journal. The study focused mostly on sugar-free energy drinks, a beverage market that is expected to reach $10 billion in growth by 2010.

According to the article, pH levels are not solely to blame for erosion of tooth enamel. A beverage's "buffering capacity," or the ability to neutralize acid, is also major factor in dental erosion. In efforts to thwart any oral problems, dentists suggest following these simple tips for keeping your teeth healthy:

Use a straw positioned at the back of the mouth so that the liquid avoids the teeth

Rinse the mouth with water after drinking acidic beverages

Limit the intake of sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks

Bulimia nervosa, like anorexia nervosa, is an eating disorder that centers around control. One of the most common eating disorders, bulimia is characterized by consuming large amounts of food and then ridding the stomach of its contents by way of vomiting, over-exercising, or use of laxatives.

Eating to excess (called the "binge") is comforting to bulimics. But eating too much causes them to feel out of control. They also feel guilt, shame, and a fear of weight gain which causes them to "purge." This "binge and purge" cycle is extremely dangerous and can lead to serious and long-term health problems, like tooth decay, gum disease, loss of tooth enamel, osteoporosis, kidney damage, heart problems, and even death.

Because bulimia is harder to recognize than anorexia -- the symptoms are more subtle and bulimics are not always thin -- awareness is critical. Please consider these symptoms and physical effects of bulimia.

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Straight white teeth: a universal sign of beauty and good health. And thankfully both can be come by fairly easily if you aren't lucky enough to have them naturally, or if you've ruined them somehow in the process of living (smokers!). Of course you'll have to see your dentist to straighten out crooked teeth, and although you can go there for whitening too there are fairly effective ways to do it yourself at home. From cheap to expensive there quite a few options out there, like whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and whitening gels -- and then of course the professional options available in the spa or dental office. What works for you? eDiets gives their opinions here, share yours in the comments!

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We're usually too wrapped in in calories to consider another important factor to what we're drinking -- the acidity. Acidic drinks can not only lead to ulcers, but they can rot your teeth too. Fitsugar has a handy breakdown of the worst offenders acid-wise. What are the some of the worst offenders?

• Coke, with a pH of 2.63
• Pepsi at 2.49
• Gatorade at 2.95
• Doctor Pepper at 2.95
• Minute Maid at 2.8

For comparisons sake, consider this: Neutral pH (water) is 7.0. Battery Acid is 1.0 and you mouth's normal pH should be about 6.2-7.0. So if you haven't quit drinking soda for the sake of your health, maybe you should consider giving it up for the sake of your pearly whites?

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Chocolate toothpaste... Ugh, I feel a little nauseated just thinking about it. But not to worry, chocolate flavoring isn't destined for toothpaste, but chocolate extract instead. Arman Sadeghpour, from Tulane University, has found that an extract from cocoa powder may be an effective alternative to fluoride in toothpaste.

The extract is a white powder, and it works by hardening tooth enamel thereby making the teeth better able to resist cavities. More testing is needed before it can be used in humans, but if all goes well in 2-4 years it may be on shelves hidden in your favorite brand of toothpaste.

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