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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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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The other day, I went for coffee with a friend, and instead of ordering her usual cup of joe, she ordered a cup of tea. 'Cutting down on caffeine?' I asked her. 'Oh no,' she told me, 'But I've noticed my teeth haven't looked as white lately and I suspect the coffee has something to do with it.' Which, of course, made me look wistfully at my beloved Americano and wondered if I was doing my pearly whites a disservice.Truth is, considering that my few joys in life are coffee and red wine, the answer is probably yes.

However, I've never really considered the effect my daily coffee has on my teeth. Have you? If not, check out this article from AOL on the top teeth stainers. Here are few surprising sources of discoloured teeth:

• Too much fluoride.
• Certain medications, including tetracycline and some antihistamines
• Colourful foods like soy sauce and cranberries
• Dental damage
• Beer

As for drinks? The rule of thumb is this: If it can stain your carpet, it can stain your teeth. Yikes!

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In what is probably the coolest way to take medicine ever, an Israel-based company has created a prosthetic tooth that delivers medication for people who need it at regular intervals. The aptly named IntelliDrug is literally the size of a pair of molars and would hold a solid pill inside.

By design, saliva is allowed to permeate the device and build up pressure inside. Then, at pre-programmed intervals, an electronic valve is opened to release the medication. It even has software to monitor how much potency is left in the pill!

The best news is that this doesn't have to be a permanent fixture for people either. It can be installed much like a bracket at the orthodontist's office. Of course, fixed versions can be applied to people needing a long-term solution. This technology would be great for people who take medication on a daily basis -- or even for those who sometimes forget! Like the article suggests, Alzheimer's patients would get a lot out of this device too. Read on for more information regarding this invention.

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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.

I am officially addicted to brushing my teeth! A few weeks ago I got hold of the new Triumph with SmartGuide toothbrush by Oral-B and have been doing that weird licking the front of my teeth thing since. I've always used plain old no-frills toothbrushes, but just recently got to thinking that it wasn't doing the job. Kind of like cleaning your dinner table with a napkin. It removes the big crumbs on the surface, but doesn't really get all the dinner goo that truly needs to be removed. The Triumph is the equivalent of using a scrubby sponge with soap on that table. It does the job a toothbrush is really supposed to do.

Not only do my teeth feel like I've just visited a dental hygienist every day, but brushing has become a strangely enjoyable challenge. The Triumph comes with a neat SmartGuide wireless monitor (a personal trainer for your teeth). The SmartGuide gives me the goal of brushing for two minutes, and encourages me to spend 30 seconds on each quadrant of my mouth. I'm totally in to this. And when I hit the two minute mark.....the monitor gives me a happy face! Woo-hoo! If I keep going, the monitor will wink at me. Who couldn't use a little wink to start your day, right?

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Are you proud of your teeth? Many are, although if each of them were to ask their dentist, they'd see frowns. that's because dentists are less happy with the condition of their patient's teeth and resulting smiles than the patients are.

Norwegian researchers said this week that although patients look at their teeth as one of the most important overall aspects of their facial attractiveness, dentists were not assessing the condition of all those teeth nearly as favorably.

In addition to that smile, patients surveyed and observed in the study ranked various facial features to overall attractiveness in addition to those teeth, including hair and hairline, eyes and eyebrows, nose, skin, ears, lips, teeth, chin and the shape of the head. What did those surveyed dislike about their teeth? The color, with a majority rating that their teeth were "too dark."

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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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Did you know worms live longer when they are unable to process the simple sugar glucose? Sure enough. And this finding, published in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, may mean for humans that glucose could have a negative effect on life span. Study of these little worms may have other human implications too.

Already, researchers think their findings cast some doubt on traditional Type 2 diabetes treatments, all of which target lowering blood levels of glucose by increasing the amount of sugar taken up by body tissues. Questions are also being raised about the widespread use of antioxidant supplements -- antioxidants and vitamins given to the worms canceled out the life-extending benefits of sugar deprivation.

While banishing refined sugar is definitely a wise idea -- surely, we all agree on that, right? -- no one recommends tossing the multivitamins just yet. I mean, we're talking worms here. Still, some good food for thought, don't you think?

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If you're into the natural way to feed babies, then some good news this week: previous studies that linked breastfeeding and tooth decay (and cavities) were disputed by a new study that quashed any link between the two.

Prior studies showed little evidence that breastfeeding caused tooth decay problems in infants, so this new study hopefully will put the issue to rest. Breastfeeding is the best way possible to nourish that new baby, and it's hard to believe that possibly cavities could be a result.

The new study looked at 1,500 children aged two to five that were breastfed and whaddayaknow -- there was zero correlation between that activity and anything related to dental problems with their teeth. However, enter in a mother who smokes, ears poorly or does drugs, and the breast milk may not be all that healthy after all.

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I don't know what it is that makes some people crave one kind of food and others another but it seems like the most common craving culprits are anything salty or anything sweet. I know lots of people who will ruin their diet for potato chip, popcorn and cheezies, while I've always had to battle my love for all things sugary including the two main groups -- foods with frosting and foods with chocolate.

Cookies are one of the hardest sweet treats for me to avoid so I've been searching out some healthier recipes and found a site with an entire page dedicated to healthy cookies recipes. The three that I'm looking forward to trying are the Sugarless Heart Cookies, which look good for anyone on a low-sugar diet, the Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookies because they sound tasty with the added benefit of protein and, perhaps the most delicious-looking find, the recipe for Low Fat Triple Chocolate Cake Bars.

Have you got a sweet tooth but are on a diet? Have you got any low-fat, low-calorie or sugar-free recipes to share?

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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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Fluoride is an amazing compound. Since being added to our community water supplies, the occurrence of tooth decay has dropped as much as 40 percent in some places. But considering fluoride is now a part of the water which we use to cook, clean and eat with, skeptics are saying too much of a good thing is bad.

Of course, skeptics can find fault in just about anything we use regularly nowadays. A group called the Fluoride Action Network is waging a crusade against fluoride, citing that too much can actually hurt your teeth (discoloration called fluorosis). In an attempt to scare away the public, they even cite studies which show how excessive amounts of fluoride can cause reduced thyroid activity, IQ deficits, premature puberty and... bone cancer?

It's in your toothpaste, baby formula, soda, juice, and cooking, but is fluoride something you should be scared of? We've been consuming the compound in our water for over 50 years now, so in other words "No." I cannot imagine why fluoride would be an issue now after being used for so long.

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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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