What’s the secret to clean teeth and healthy gums? Brushing, of course.

Regularly brushing your teeth removes plaque, a clear film of bacteria that sticks to your teeth. It’s the bacteria in plaque that causes cavities and gum disease.

We want to help you get your healthiest smile ever! And all you need is a toothbrush, some toothpaste and about six minutes a day. (OK, maybe 10 – flossing is pretty important, too.)

Win either this Deep Sweep+Smart Guide electric toothbrush or the Healthy Clean+Floss Action.

Here are our 5 keys to brushing your way to clean teeth:

1. For healthy, clean teeth, brush at least two or three times a day. One of those times should be right before you hit the sheets.

2. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles. Softer bristles are less likely to damage your enamel or lead to receding gums – and possible tooth sensitivity issues – down the road.

3. Brush your teeth for at least two minutes every time you brush. Queue up your favourite song for some background music and the time will fly by.

4. Try to brush after every meal. This is particularly important after having something sugary or starchy – oral bacteria produce acids that can wear aware at your enamel for up to 20 minutes after eating if you don’t brush. But if you’ve just had something acid (say, a glass of OJ), throw this rule out the window. Acid foods weaken tooth enamel and brushing too soon will only weaken the enamel more. In this case, wait at least 30 minutes before brushing.

5. Consider investing in an electric toothbrush. An electric toothbrush can rotate up to 7,500 times a minute; a manual toothbrush, about 300. Basically, it does the work for you. Here’s another number for you: an electric toothbrush removes up two times the plaque that a manual brush does.

To help you drive away with clean teeth, we are happy to offer an Oral-B electric toothbrush to two lucky winners! 

Here’s how to enter:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me: What’s your toothbrush of choice: manual or electric?
• Make sure to leave your name and email address so we can contact you if you win. We will randomly select our winner on May 4, 2013. This contest is open only to residents of Canada

Contest closes May 3, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. EST. You can enter once only. Open to all residents of Canada with a valid mailing address, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families or any other persons with whom they reside. Good luck!

Good luck!

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Click here for more dental health tips for the whole family.

Some myths are easily dismissed, even downright laughable. Yet others seem to take off and become regarded as truth. So I chose five common health myths pertinent to women and set out to find if they were true, false or entirely rubbish.

Myth #1: Using your laptop on your lap can cause infertility

Ruling: “Partly True”

What the experts say: This one is partly the media’s fault. A study was conducted on this matter in the journal Fertility and Sterility and news outlets jumped on it like sperm on an egg. See what I did there? Never mind. The study showed that using a laptop on your lap increases scrotal temperature, which can damage sperm, but there’s no hard evidence to suggest that it affects overall fertility. Reuters reported the real story.

Myth #2: Having another drink can cure a hangover

Ruling: “Absolute Rubbish”

What the experts says: I know this will be crushing for those of you who love an early morning Caesar, but you are doing nothing to cure last night’s bad decisions. Plainly said, there is no way that drinking more alcohol can cure a hangover. So far, the only proven cures are water and moderation. Turn to Intelihealth for more about curing hangovers.

Myth #3: Chewing gum will stay in your stomach for seven years

Ruling: “Absolute Rubbish”

What the experts say: This rumour probably started because someone misunderstood the actual fact that humans can’t digest gum. Humans don’t actually possess the digestive enzymes to break down the gum base and absorb it. But it doesn’t hang around in our stomach for the better part of a decade. It gets excreted with everything else. For the complete scoop, read what Duke Health experts have to say.

Myth #4: Drinking Mountain Dew lowers  sperm count

Ruling: “Absolute rubbish”

This lovely myth continues to pervade high schools even today, leading to the breakdown of society, otherwise known as “16 and Pregnant.” It started when someone said that yellow dye number five or Tartrazine, which is found in Mountain Dew, lowers sperm count. If that’s the case, better start cutting out Doritos, skim milk, butter, Kraft macaroni and cheese, assorted candies and boxed cereals and here’s the kicker—beer. Medicinet tells it like is is.

Myth #5:
Putting toothpaste on a pimple will dry it up

Ruling: “Partly True”

What the experts says: Toothpaste is a common home remedy for acne because most types contain Triclosan, an antibacterial ingredient. When you apply toothpaste to a pimple, it will effectively kill the bacteria with the added bonus of leaving your face minty fresh. However the pimple won’t go away completely and toothpaste also contains other ingredients that can inflame the skin and cause even more redness. Find out more about acne.

What’s the craziest health myth you’ve heard lately?

– by Natasha Singh

It’s not so much about numb fingers and a red nose. It’s that if I spend so much as 10 minutes outside without a scarf over my mouth, I’m going to be dealing with some serious tooth pain.

Having coped with sensitive teeth for the past couple of years, I was excited to attend a recent roundtable on the subject – in particular, dentin hypersensitive. Here are a few questions that were answered, just in time for Oral Health Month.

Excessive brushing can wear away your teeth’s enamel.

What is dentin hypersensitivity?
The visible part of your tooth is called the enamel. Underneath the enamel is dentin, and inside of that you have the nerve of the tooth. The dentin is full of fluid-filled pores (called tubules). The tubules connect the outer part of your mouth to the nerve. When your enamel starts to recede, the roots are uncovered and stimuli can more easily disturbed the tubules, causing the fluid to move and leading to tooth pain and discomfort.

What type of stimuli trigger tooth sensitivity?
Anything that you do on a daily basis can trigger tooth pain. (Soothing thought, I know). The most common trigger is the cold, but other triggers include heat, touch, air pressure, sour foods, acidic foods and excessive brushing.

How common is dentin hypersensitivity?
One in three people in Canada suffer from dentin hypersensitivity, with those ages 20 to 30, and those 50 and older being the most affected.

What causes tooth sensitivity?
For those under age 30, the root cause is aesthetics – bleaching and excessive brushing being the most common concerns. Someone may have exceptional oral hygiene habits – not a cavity in her life – but brushes her gums so hard that they start to recede and the dentin gets exposed.

As you get older your gums start to recede and more of the tooth structure become visible, thus giving the impression that your teeth are getting longer (you know, you’re getting a little long in the tooth). In reality, your teeth didn’t suddenly have a growth spurt, but rather your gums have lost support and more of the root is exposed.

How can you treat dentin hypersensitivity?
Soothing your tooth pain starts at home. Step 1: Modify your brushing habits – brush your teeth as often as usual, just not so hard. Step 2: Try a toothpaste formulated to deal with sensitive teeth. Sensodyne Repair and Protect injects your teeth with a shot of calcium and phosphate, the building blocks of healthy teeth, and helps to build a reparative layer over the exposed dentin.

If at-home treatments don’t appease your sensitive teeth, talk to your dentist about topical desensitizing agents, such as fluoride gels and varnishes. Bonding agents that seal the dentin surface will also help deal with tooth sensitivity.

Do you suffer from tooth sensitivity? Does your tooth pain cause you to use language you probably shouldn’t?

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OK, that’s a wee bit dramatic.

What I am, though, is a consistent gym-goer and avid ball hockey player, and at some point my pre-workout snack of choice became half a power bar. While they may be loaded with carbs and protein, they’re also full of sugar. I may as well have been eating a chocolate bar.

Pears – and apples – make great pre-workout snack (photography: Dimitar Nikolov).

Shortly after I resolved to rededicate myself to more strength training, I decided to re-introduce myself to healthier pre-workout snacks. Hare are five of my favourites.

Applesauce
I want to fuel up with a snack that’s high in carbs and easy to digest. I know if I don’t get enough carbs, I’ll be setting myself up for fatigue during the latter half of my workout. Luckily, a serving of my favourite unsweetened variety of applesauce has more than 20 grams of carbs, and the small portion means it won’t be riding shotgun during my workout.

Banana
For more than five years, my fiancé has been extoling the virtues of this fruit: “Potassium, dear, potassium.” If you plan on doing a little extra cardio, these are great pre-workout snacks since potassium levels drop when you sweat.

Bran cereal with skim milk
This good combo of carbs and protein is my go-to pre-workout breakfast on the weekends. It’s been at least 12 hours since I last had something to eat, so getting my blood sugar back up is key to fueling my early morning workout.

Whole wheat toast
I love bread, and the good thing about whole wheat toast (as well as whole grain toast) is that it’s a low on the GI scale (meaning sugar is released into the bloodstream slowly) and high in fibre (meaning I’m less likely to have a growling tummy before I’m finished my workout).

Small pear
The fibre from the pear skin helps keep me full  – but not stuffed – until the end of my workout and the fluid content helps keep me hydrated.

Do you have favourite pre-workout snacks?

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The product: My Cold Front.

The Claim: the world’s first personal cooling system with patented Recool Technology for continuous use. Perfect for on-the-go, whether it’s cooling relief you need post-workout, after an outdoor activity, or just due to high temperatures. The product’s cooling gel packs provide instant relief. Just take out the palm packs and place on neck or wrist and put them back in the case to recool. Great for pain relief, too.”

Reader review: “These are such a great idea, especially for those times you need instant relief from, in my case, hot flashes, though I couldn’t really use them in the daytime as I work in an office. That could get awkward. I could try them for pain relief, but I wouldn’t want to get too chilled applying them. Quirky, weird, but that’s menopause for you.” Alice S.

If you’ve found a must-try balm for pain and flashes, let us know.

Why go healthy?
A healthy diet combined with an active lifestyle will do wonders from you. You may find you sleep better, feel more energetic throughout the day and get into those skinny jeans you’ve been hiding away in your closet.

Are you in a workout rut? Here are some fun new workouts to try:
• 4 simple high-intensity interval training exercises
• The ultimate weight loss workout
• Easy exercises to tone your thighs
• 3 squat exercises
• 5 new ab exercises

What are you waiting for? Join us in the challenge to become the healthiest version of yourself.

Check out 31 days of healthy recipes. Which one will you make first?

By Diana Faria

If you haven’t yet opted for extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter when frying your favourite foods, now’s the time! Naturopathic doctors Sue Love and Sapna Patel Flower from Restore Integrative Health wrapped up heart health month at Toronto’s Olive & Olives, a retail store specializing in olive oils, by highlighting the important health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil.

Olive oil is a great source of healthy monounsaturated fat.

What’s so great about extra-virgin olive oil?
Extra-virgin olive oil is a great source of omega-9, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid. Flower stressed how omega-9 acids help our cardiovascular system, aid in controlling inflammation and protect us from certain types of cancers – and that’s just to name a few.

Need more proof? A new study about extra-virgin olive oil was published in February in the New England Journal of Medicine. The test gathered 7,400 subjects who already had type 2 diabetes or other risk factors for the disease (including hypertension, obesity, or a history of smoking) and divided them into two groups. Both groups followed a Mediterranean diet for just under five years. The first group added at least four tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil per day, while the second group added a daily total of 30 grams of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds).

What is a Mediterranean diet?
In a few words, this diet consists of getting plenty of exercise, eating mostly plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc), replacing butter with healthy alternatives (canola and, oh yes, olive oil!), using herbs and spices rather than salt and switching red meat for fish and poultry for most of your meals.

The amazing results of adding olive oil to your daily diet
Both groups’ risk of death due to heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular disease dropped by 30 per cent! Plot twist: most people from both groups were already on a Mediterranean diet before this study began and just added those four tablespoons of olive oil. “The likelihood is if you did this study on people who were eating a North American diet, the [results] would have been that much greater,” Love said.

Case in point: get that extra-virgin olive oil anywhere you can! Use it in your salad, fry your fish with it or try it when you bake – you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how good healthy fats can taste!

Congrats to Jan! You’ve won the following prize pack:

• One-month supply of Pop Chips
• A special taste of Pop Chip’s brand-new flavour: ketchup
• An autographed copy of Jillian Michael‘s new book Slim For Life
• A copy of Jillian Michael’s workout DVD Killer Buns and Thighs

Jillian Michaels will keep you looking and feeling great all year!

Here what Jan shared with us:

I loved the challenge! I tried some new recipes, incorporated some of the workouts and have already lost 8 pounds. I still have a few to go, but am well on my way to my goal. Tracking my calories was a BIG help. (I used Sparkpeople) I found out that I was not eating enough at the beginning (believe it or not!).

Thanks for sharing, Jan!

Best of luck to all of you. I have no doubt you’ll remain fit and healthy!

Here were some of my fave parts about it:
• The delicious, healthy recipe suggestions
• The exclusive weight-loss tips at the bottom of the newsletter
• Being able to read about my co-workers successes and challenges on The Health and Wellness Blog

Win a one-month supply of Pop Chips!

The giveaway
As a way to thank you all for participating, we’re hosting a super exciting giveaway. Here’s what you could win:
• One-month supply of Pop Chips
• A special taste of Pop Chip’s brand-new flavour: ketchup (I’ve tasted these and they are extra YUM!)
• An autographed copy of Jillian Michael‘s new book Slim For Life (what a great way to keep you motivated throughout the year!)
• A copy of Jillian Michael’s workout DVD Killer Buns and Thighs (who doesn’t want killer buns and thighs?!)

What a super exciting prize pack, aimed to keep you thinking about healthy snacking, staying fit and keeping on track of your fitness and weight loss goals. If you want to win this fab prize, simply leave a comment here telling us about your experience with the 6-Week Slim-Down. Did you love it? Hate it? Complete it? Lose weight? Discover new recipes? Learn new workout moves? We’re dying to know!

I’ll announce a winner here on Friday, Feb. 22.

Good luck!

Challenges: Quite simply, the thrill is gone. There’s no pressure, no deadline, no more OMG-my-dress-is-super-tight-I-can’t-eat-that-donut moments. I thought that wearing a very short, very revealing dress for my best friend’s wedding in July (I’m a bridesmaid) would help, but it’s simply not enough to set a fire under my seat. And since I thrive under pressure, knowing the fitting isn’t until May means I keep putting it off healthy eating at bay. Exercise isn’t really a problem for me—I always do it—but it’s the eating clean that nets me real results. I’ve become more relaxed with my eating (sugar? COME TO MAMA) and really, I’m not feeling my greatest. Which leads to a cycle of feeling cranky, angry and frustrated, and what do I want to do to heal all of that? Eat a big cookie. As well, I spend most of my summer nights out, socializing with friends or doing outdoor fitness classes. During the winter, I’m a complete hermit, save for the outdoor walks I take with my pugs and attention the occasional work event in the evening.

Successes: I’ve signed up for the Sporting Life 10K with a number of other editors. (If you’d like to donate, click here). Knowing that I’ll be participating in a huge initiative in a public way means I can’t bail at the last minute, and that I have to properly train. And proper training requires clean and healthy eating, which I know will motivate me even more. Training starts in a few weeks with the amazing Brent Bishop, so I need to get my act in gear soon.

How to you maintain weight-loss motivation?