We all want a set of beautiful pearly whites, don't we? But a white smile goes well beyond appearances; strong, healthy teeth are important for your overall health.

For sparkling white teeth, in addition to proper oral hygiene, avoid foods that can stain. The general rule of thumb is if it can stain a white t-shirt, it can stain your teeth. Coffee, red wine, and tea are common culprits.

But there are plenty of foods you can add to your diet to improve the health of your teeth. And -- bonus! -- the foods that are good for your teeth are good for your general health as well. Check out the gallery for a summary of the foods mentioned in the video.

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Next time you're prepping for a CT of your gastrointestinal tract, you might not need to reach any further than your refrigerator because a new study suggests that whole milk is just as effective, costs less, and is easier on patients than the barium suspension commonly used for oral contrast.

A study of 215 patients turned up this conclusion and besides the similar effectiveness of milk and barium, patients were generally happier drinking milk.

Says Chi Wan Koo, MD, lead author of the study: "We found that milk was less expensive, it had better patient acceptance and fewer adverse symptoms."

Intrigued? Check out the study abstract here, in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

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I've heard it before: The pill protects against ovarian cancer. And here the news presents itself again, this time in the form of a study revealing birth control pills can protect women from this disease even decades after they stop taking it.

British researchers have found that women taking the pill for 15 years cut their chances of developing ovarian cancer by half. The risk remained low more than 30 years later, although protection did weaken over time, according to study findings that were published Friday in The Lancet.

Overall, this is good news. Not only do you get to prevent pregnancy, you get to prevent ovarian cancer at the same time (long-term protection against endometrial cancer is a bonus too). But there's a downside to this hopeful news: The pill also slightly increases the chances of breast and cervical cancer. The risk seems to disappear once a woman stops taking the oral contraceptive but still, the gamble remains for as long as the medication is used.

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Ok, so proper dental hygene is an important thing -- we all know that. But brushing your teeth is not only good for your dental health, but your waistline too! Let me explain:

After each meal, brush your teeth. This isn't just to get the food off of them--it will also keep you from snacking after meals. It's a practice that is especially effective in the nighttime -- brushing your teeth shortly after dinner will keep you from snacking in front of the TV because firstly, food won't taste as good when your mouth is minty fresh, and secondly, you won't want to re-do the whole teeth routine before you hit the sack.

Brushing your teeth can also be invigorating; In fact, when I need a quick pick-me-up, I find that brushing my teeth is often more effective than downing a cup of coffee.

Halitosis, the technical term for bad breath (aka oral malodour, apparently), can be an embarrassing and touchy subject. Let's face it, nobody wants to repel people with their breath. There are a range of potential causes for bad breath, some of which are medical and may be helped by a simple visit to the doctor. Others though, have more to do with what you eat and various habits.

If you know you suffer from halitosis and want to try to remedy the situation, it might be worthwhile to take some (or all) of the advice suggested here. Avoiding food like garlic and onions might help, but apparently not eating at all may cause bad breath, so make sure eat a regular, healthy diet. Other tips include staying hydrated as dry mouth can cause foul breath, giving up cigarettes and looking after your mouth and teeth by brushing, flossing and gargling with mouthwash.

As mentioned, if none of these things seem to work, it's probably a good idea to make an appointment to discuss the situation with your doctor.

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For those who take it on a regular basis, and who remember to take it every day at the same time, the pill is a pretty effective form of contraception. It's not for everyone though, so those who are thinking of going on the pill should take a look at this article, which discusses some of the pros and cons of the oral contraceptive.

Some of the more well-known pros include clearer skin, lighter periods and less severe or no cramps. One of the major cons that I've heard women talk about is the extra weight gain associated with taking the pill. However, I've also heard that no one should gain more than a few pounds, if any. Also, the pill protects again some forms of cancer, like ovarian and endometrial cancer, but may increase the risk of breast, cervical and liver cancer. Also, smokers, especially those over age 35, who take the pill are at risk of developing life threatening blood clots.

So that's the good and the bad, but what about the stuff they don't tell you? A women quoted in the article insists that she noticed an increase in her sex drive when she quit taking the contraceptive, but admits it could be due to a number of factors. I know a women who insists that her curly hair went completely straight when she went on the pill and another who says that for the first week she starting taking the contraceptive, her emotions went wild.

As usual, the best way to find out if the pill is right for you is to do some research, talk to your doctor and make sure to ask lots of questions and ensure any concerns you have are addressed before you make your choice.

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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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How often do you chew gum? Do you chew just to freshen your breath or as a way to relieve stress? I bet it does relax you at least a little, whether you realize it or not, because that's part of the appeal of gum versus breath mints. But chewing gum can cause problems if you overdo it (like anything) especially if you're feeling tense to begin with. According to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, chewing gum when you're stressed can cause you to chew more vigorously, which can lead to any number of problems like a strained jaw, fatigue, soreness, and even a serious condition of the jaw joint called TMJ.

Huh, who knew?

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Cancer is one of the most terrifying words in the modern lexicon. There are so many types that you can get in so many ways, it is pretty overwhelming. Some forms of the disease are influenced by genetics, but many of these, as well as loads of others, can be prevented.

Oral cancer, which affects the mouth and pharynx (a section of the throat that includes part of the digestive and respiratory system) is one of the forms of the disease that each individual can take measures to try to prevent on their own. According to this, regular use of lip balm with SPF is an important step, as excessive sun exposure can lead to lip cancer and the sunscreen in lip balm can help protect your kisser.

In addition, one of the most important things to avoid is tobacco products including cigars and cigarettes. You should also avoid drinking too much alcohol and make sure to include a cancer screening in each check-up at the dentist. Oral cancer is very serious but steps can be taken to avoid it, so make sure to look after yourself accordingly.

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A new study shows that both red and white wine, even without the alcohol, may help fight cavities. Although it's interesting, it's really nothing to get too excited about just yet. The research was done in Italy by putting wine (with the alcohol removed) and bacteria together in test tubes to see what would happen. Both wines were effective in killing bacteria types that cause cavities and throat infections, but it seemed that red wine may have been slightly better. Researchers also did some tests on just the acids found in the wine and found that they seem to be the real reason behind the anti-bacterial properties.

Of course you shouldn't start chugging a glass of wine every night instead of brushing your teeth, but who knows what research like this might lead to!

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Once you're an adult you only have the one set of teeth, so it's worthwhile to take care of them for that reason alone, if not for the fact that poor oral hygiene has also been linked to other surprising health problems like heart disease. But brushing your teeth correctly isn't as easy as it seems, and some of us need some help to do it right. Oral-B Triumph to the rescue! It tells you where to brush and for how long, and even warns you if you're pressing too hard. It has 4 cleaning patterns to choose from and personalize, and it syncs up with a handy mirror-mounted LCD screen to keep you constantly in the loop on how you're doing. Expect them in September for about $150 (I guess fanciness like this doesn't come cheap!).

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This is a statistic I can honestly say shocked me: 12% of people don't brush their teeth daily. Eeeeew! And it's not like they only brush once a day or something, which would be bad enough, but they don't even brush every day. Wow!

Now this was a British survey, so I'm hoping we're better than that over here in the U.S. Overall oral health has improved by leaps and bounds over the last 30 years or so, but obviously there is still room for improvement. And your oral health is not an area to be fudging on as it's been linked to heart disease and all kinds of other seemingly unrelated health conditions in recent research.

So brush and floss, people! We all need to, but those 12% especially -- you know who you are...

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Okay, so here's some cool technology: a hand held device that can assess dental disease in mere minutes. With just a drop or two of your saliva, the handy gadget can analyze proteins and chemistry to not only determine if you have periodontal disease but also how severe the case is. The researchers are hopeful that in the future this technology can be used to help with identifying other diseases, like prostate and breast cancer.

The article compares it to a Star Trek tricorder, but I don't remember the tricorder needing spit samples.

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There is nothing worse than that horrible stinging piercing grating nerve pain that comes right when you bite into something hot, or cold, or sweet, or sour...you get the idea. Sensitive teeth stink.

There are some things you can do to make them less bothersome, though, like simply switching to a softer toothbrush and using toothpaste and mouthwash specifically designed for sensitive teeth. Other than that you'll probably have to ask your dentist for advice, and learn what's causing your sensitivity in the first place. Usually it's receding gums exposing roots, in which case working to prevent that from getting any worse becomes a priority. There's no easy fix, so maybe finding and avoiding problematic foods could help? Any ideas that work for you?

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Recently there has been talk about how having a healthy mouth and assertive treatment for gum problems can have a direct impact on your cardiovascular health. Well now it seems that your blood vessels aren't the only (seemingly) unrelated part of your body that is effected by how healthy your mouth is: women with gum disease are at an increased risk for premature birth of their babies, as well as low birth weight.

Unfortunately, they have yet to determine how treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy affects the outcome, so it looks like being proactive and starting your pregnancy healthy is your best bet. Isn't it always?

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