Think your smile isn't important to your career? Think again. In a recent study, about 40 percent of respondents said that a co-worker's smile was more noticeable than their hair or clothes. Yet less than 45 percent of us brush while we're at work.

It's a long day for teeth that are brushed after breakfast and ignored until bedtime. During those hours, they're exposed to coffee, soft drinks, sticky sweets, and whatever you decide to eat for lunch.

After each snack or meal, bacteria are hard at work producing acids which stick to tooth enamel, resulting in decay and gum disease. How can you put a stop to this vicious cycle? Take your toothbrush to work.

If you keep a toothbrush at work -- in your briefcase, purse or desk drawer -- you're more than 60 percent more likely to brush after lunch or snacking, reports the Academy of General Dentistry.

Once you have that toothbrush with you at the office, write yourself a reminder to brush and put it in a place where you'll notice it right after lunch -- on your computer or your door. Try to brush as soon as you finish lunch and before you get back to work. When you take your breaks or freshen up during the day, don't forget to take your toothbrush along so your teeth can get a break, too.

How you brush and the amount of time you spend brushing can really make a difference in your fight against gum disease. For instance, are you sure you brush all your teeth? Many people work their way around their mouths without ever hitting the area inside their bottom front teeth. To be sure you're brushing everywhere, start with the area behind your front teeth and work your way around to that area again.

To be sure you're brushing everywhere, start with the area behind your front teeth and work your way around to that area again. Then move to the outsides of the teeth and do the same. Follow an identical pattern for your bottom teeth.

The length of time you spend brushing should average between two and three minutes, but for most people it's less than a minute. Try putting a kitchen timer or a clock with a sweeping second hand in your bathroom to be sure you're brushing long enough to give each tooth a thorough cleaning.

Most mothers are accustomed to hearing those words from their children occassionally, but what can parents do when their child refuses to drink milk? The benefits of milk -- calcium, vitamin D, and protein -- and its important role in the diet of a growing child are well established. How can a mother be sure her non-milk-drinker is getting the essential nutrients of milk when the child won't drink it?

Here are some suggestions that pack the same nutritional punch, but may be more pleasing to your child's palate:

• Mix fresh fruits (strawberries and bananas) with milk in the blender for a tasty shake.
• Serve leafy vegetables that are high in calcium, like kale and broccoli.
• Use milk in hot cereals, custards, puddings, and cream soups.
• Six ounces of ice milk or yogurt or an ounce of hard cheese can be substituted for six ounces of milk.
• Try four-ounce servings in colorful cups several times a day, rather than eight ounces all at once.