Can Green Tea Improve Your Dental Health?
If you’re like most people who are concerned about dental health, you probably struggle to keep pace with all of the recommendations and warnings concerning what you should and should not drink to best protect your teeth and gums. We’re told to limit our intake of things like coffee, soda, and juice to avoid staining tooth enamel or exposing the teeth and gums to too much sugar. At times, it can seem as though the only safe thing to drink is water, and we all know how much fun that can be. Well, cheer up; one of the hottest drinks in natural health circles also appears to have positive benefits for dental health as well: green tea!
Yes, when you think of tea, your mind probably goes immediately to thoughts of that caffeine jolt you get from black and green teas – and rightly so. Tea, like coffee and many sodas, does have caffeine, and it can provide that early morning or mid-afternoon energy burst so many of us need to power through our days. According to research conducted seven years ago, however, there is more to green tea than just the caffeine boost. In a study of almost a thousand men in Japan, scientists determined that this powerful natural liquid has a major impact on oral health.
The Study
The Japanese study involved an analysis of 940 men of varying ages – between 49 and 59 years old, and was conducted as part of a broader examination of their overall health. Most of the participants in the study imbibed one or more cups of green tea on a daily basis. Those who did had a measurable decline in both bleeding and recession of the gums.
Bleeding of the gums and gum recession are both clear signs of gum disease. Because those symptoms abated with regular green tea consumption, researchers concluded that the tea was slowing the progression of the disease. Further study led them to conclude that this was due to the known antioxidant properties of the beverage – properties which a 2014 analysis of 19 separate studies demonstrated to lower oral cancer risks for regular green tea users.
What it Means for You
None of this is to suggest that green tea – or any beverage for that matter, is some sort of miracle drink that can eliminate oral health problems altogether. The science, however, does suggest that this tea is not only a tooth-friendly beverage option for anyone looking for a drink that won’t harm the tooth and gums but one that could actually help to improve oral health as well.
At Ebenezer Dental, we are always excited to have our patients discover new ways to supplement their oral health regimen – even when those “new” options are actually old ideas with a modern twist. Of course, if you’re planning on making green tea a part of your daily routine, just be sure to drink it free of those tooth-assaulting sweetening agents. To find out more about how the best dentist in Midtown Manhattan can help you with your efforts to improve your oral health, contact us today!