Some Gum Good For Teeth

The American Dental Association based in Chicago has awarded its Seal of Acceptance to Wrigley sugar free chewing gums Orbit, Extra and Eclipse.

To be considered for the Seal of Acceptance awarded by the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs, products must withstand a review in a variety of areas and must supply objective data from laboratory and clinical studies that support the product's safety, effectiveness and promotional claims.

Studies submitted by Wrigley showed that chewing these gum products for 20 minutes three times a day after meals increases saliva production, which helps neutralize and wash away plaque acid and bathes the teeth in minerals such as calcium, phosphate and fluoride, which is known to strengthen tooth enamel and help prevent cavities.

"Consumers know that if they chew gum that carries the ADA Seal of Acceptance, they are actually doing more for their oral health than just freshening their breath," James B. Bramson, executive director of the ADA, said in a statement.

Dish Network Special For Showtime

Dish Network Customers: If you are interested in taking the plunge into premium movies, now is not a bad time to check out Showtime. Showtime is being offered free for three months. Showtime has a variety of original programming, sports, and movies. Some of the shows that may be of interest include Weeds, Californication, and Dexter. Sports programming includes boxing and mixed-martial arts (MMA), and some movie titles showing are Failure To Launch, World Trade Center, and Akeelah and the Bee.

There are no rebates needed to get this special. However, keep in mind that you may be charged a processing fee if you remove the channel after the promotional period.

Cell Phone Controls On ATT Now Available

AT&T Inc. will launch a service Tuesday giving parents that kind of wide-ranging control on almost all of its 63.7 million subscriber lines.

"We were certainly hearing from parents who were dismayed at overuse of text or phones," said Carlton Hill, vice president of voice products for AT&T's wireless unit and the mother of two teenagers. "We want to find a way for kids to use phones without having to take the phone away."

Many parents want their children to have access to cell phones for safety reasons, but they don't want them making or receiving non-emergency calls during the school day, chatting away all the shared family-plan minutes or bloating the bill with text messaging charges, Hill said.

Several upstarts have tried tackling the market for limited phones, including Enfora Inc.'s TicTalk and Firefly Mobile Inc. which offer handsets for children.

Disney Mobile, launched by The Walt Disney Co. in June 2006, offers many of the same functions as AT&T's new service, but parents must sign up with the carrier. Disney phones also include a GPS function that allows parents to physically locate their kids' handset, a feature not available from AT&T.

AT&T's Smart Limits service will be offered as an add-on for $4.99 per month per line. No contract will be required, and it will work on all but a handful of customer lines left on an old network the company is phasing out.

The functions, ranging from call blocking and hour limits to text message and download allowances, will be set through a Web site. Calls to or from a parent's number can be made to override the restrictions, and calls to 911 can be made anytime.

The AT&T service also allows filtering of Web sites parents don't want their children accessing from their phones, but that function will not work on Apple Inc.'s iPhone because of the browser, said AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook.

The Web site filter will also be inoperable when a phone is using a Wi-Fi network because AT&T can only block content delivered over its wireless networks.

The Smart Limits service will be marketed to AT&T's existing family plan customers and through advertising in parent magazines, Hill said, but because it is available throughout the AT&T network, the service can also be used by business customers or individuals looking to block and limit certain callers or hours of incoming calls.