Is Tea Good for Your Oral Health?

Are Teas Good for Your Teeth and Gums?

As you dentist might have told you, water is the best beverage for your teeth because it helps keep your mouth clean, fights dry mouth and is free of additives that can damage your teeth (And it’s also wonderfully free of calories!). But let’s face it, sometimes plain old H2O is also a bit boring. Sometimes you just need a bit of flavor in your drink to add that extra “zing” in your life. 

Thank goodness for tea! Yes, the ancient Chinese were really onto something when they invented (or stumbled upon, depending on the historical sources) tea! Now, it might seem that tea is simply a tasty concoction made from mixing hot water and leaves. But tea aficionados and the health-conscious people alike recognize that tea can actually benefit your health as well as delighting your tastebuds! 

What Are the Health Benefits of Tea Drinking

One of the health benefits of tea drinking is how it can lower levels of LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides (a type of fat found in your blood). When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells and this helps lower your risk of heart attacks.

Drinking tea also benefits your health in other ways. The presence of polyphenol compounds, such as catechins, and antioxidants works to lower your risk of cancer.

In general, tea has a much lower caffeine content than coffee. And so, you can drink more tea without significantly elevating your risk of suffering from the adverse effects of excessive caffeine consumption. Some studies, show that this can help not only in maximizing the benefits to your overall health but can also help in facilitating weight loss.

The above benefits may be "body wide" but the beneficial effects extend to better oral health as well.

More specifically, recent studies point to the effect that tea may have in suppressing the growth of periodontal bacteria. This, of course, helps prevent the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Catechins, Antioxidents and Polyphenols Are Great for Your Oral Health

Catechins (natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and provide other benefits) are found in both green and black tea. This is not surprising as both teas come from the same plant, they are just processed differently.

Tea is absolutely LOADED with Polyphenols (natural antioxidants that detox your body of those damaging free radicals). All these natural antioxidants are what make teas a SUPERFOOD. One of their many benefits is to increase your resistance to bacterial and viral infection.

Catechins help reduce the risk of tooth decay and periodontal disease by inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans (A type of bacteria found in the mouth that is primarily responsible for causing cavities and tooth decay).

By inhibiting the growth of bacteria, tea consumption also helps prevent the growth of oral bacteria responsible for bad breath. Who knew that drinking green could lead to better smelling breath!

Add to all of this the anti-inflammatory properties of tea and you can see why those cups of tea are not only enjoyable but an help prevent the development of gum disease and tooth decay. (NOTE: Adding sugar to your tea in NOT in the best interests of great oral health, or overall health, at all)

For a boost in oral health and better health overall, we are raising our cups to the SUPERFOOD group of black and green teas!

Want to know more about the benefits of these teas and some of the best herbal tea choices? Read our blog on some of the best healthy teas for your teeth, gums and oral health.