The effect of teeth whitening was discovered quite by accident. In the past, dentists tried to treat gum disease with mouth rinses containing hydrogen peroxide. They noticed teeth became whiter over time following use of these mouthwashes.

As a parsimonious young adult with what I thought was a pretty decent set of choppers, I once let a decade elapse between visits to the dentist. I brush. I floss. I figured everything was more or less cool.

Dear Lifehacker, I recently went on a week-log camping trip where I had mistakenly forgotten to pack my toothbrush and toothpaste. It has been a couple days since I returned to civilisation, but I can't help noticing that despite the numerous amount of teeth brushing and mouth washing, the taste of bad breath is still lingering in my mouth. Is this normal? Thanks, Lingering Halitosis

Getting kids to brush their teeth eagerly is a heroic task — goodness, why should they have to do it again if they just did it yesterday? I’m all for a good hack that’ll make children more invested in their oral hygiene, and this one from Agnes Hsu of Hello, Wonderful comes though.

Dear Lifehacker, I am thinking of purchasing some whitening toothpaste to try and get my teeth a few shades whiter. Does it actually work? Any recommendations?

Two minutes is a weird amount of time to stand at the sink with a brush in your mouth. And if you don't use an electric brush with an automatic timer, what are you supposed to do, look at a stopwatch? I've reported before on the lack of good tooth brushing apps; there's one ok one for kids, and that's it. But Gimlet has come to the rescue with a two-minute, twice-daily show called Chompers.

Are you only an occasional gum chewer? If so, and you figure it can't hurt to pick up a pack of "whitening" gum, you should know that your teeth won't get any whiter unless you're constantly chewing the stuff.

When it comes to packing, I've gotten my routine down to such a perfect science that can I can pack for a two-week international trip in 15 minutes or less and not forget anything I need. That is except my toothbrush. That I accidentally leave behind pretty much every single time I travel -- until this week when I brought three with me thanks to a little planning from past me.

There are many brands of kids' “vitamin gummies” on the market. They are promoted as deliciously flavoured and a great way for growing bodies (and fussy eaters) to get the nutrients they need. In our opinion, these products are unhealthy, poorly regulated and exploitative. Their high sugar content may appeal to young children, but they’re not a good introduction to a healthy diet.

Natural toothpastes sound like they should be healthier than your standard Colgate, but it turns out their ingredients are basically the same. A breakdown from Science-Based Medicine helps sort it all out.

You probably have a vague idea that cavities come from eating sugar and not brushing, but what exactly is going on in there? This video introduces us to the bacteria in our mouth that cause cavities -- and the friendly ones that round out the ecosystem.

If you skipped the gym this morning, make it up now with this ten-minute workout. It's focused on your core and requires no equipment, just bodyweight moves -- but it's intense enough to get your heart pumping and give you a mini cardio workout.

Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed is a treatment that promises to permanently whiten your teeth. It's not cheap and before you decide to fork out several hundred bucks for the treatment, you'd obviously want to know it works. Lifehacker's Spandas Lui and Gizmodo's Rae Johnston tested it out in the wild and lived to tell the tale. Here are the results.

The majority of drinking water in Australia already has fluoride added in, which has significantly improved the dental health of the populace. Fluoride is particularly important for teeth development in children since it helps fend off cavities and tooth decay. That's why fluoride treatments are often offered to kids with a number of cavities or are at high risk of developing cavities. But adults can benefit from fluoride treatments as well.

It's no secret that soft drink is bad for your teeth, but some are a lot worse than others. Turns out, citrus-flavoured soft drinks like Mountain Dew can have more teeth-rotting power than most colas.

Teeth grinding is a problem that affects nearly one in ten individuals, yet many of us don't even realise we're doing it. And that's a problem given just how harmful it can be to our health. Here's how to find out if you grind your teeth when you sleep -- and why it's something you shouldn't ignore.

The perfect dab of toothpaste you see on your toothpaste box and all those advertisements is misleading. It's a lot more than adults need and far too much for children. Really, a pea-size amount is all you should use to get the job done (and squeeze more uses out of a tube.)

Fever is one of the oft-cited symptoms of teething -- not always by doctors, more often by parents sharing advice. But a new analysis of the actual symptoms of teething shows that fever probably isn't one of them. In other words: If your kid is teething and has a fever, chances are they're also sick.

Dear Lifehacker, Are antibacterial mouthwashes safe to use for all gum types? I've read conflicting reports about their benefits and want to make sure I'm not doing more harm than good.