4 Reasons Why Chocolate Can Be Actually Good For Teeth Written By: Dr. Ankita Shah, May 2020
You must have heard dentists talking about avoiding chocolates since many years. But did you know “Chocolate can be actually good for teeth!” Yes, you read me correctly. However only dark chocolate is tooth friendly. That’s definitely fantastic news for chocolate lovers. While there are a few negatives associated with excessive chocolate consumption, let’s take a look at these 4 reasons on how chocolate can be a dental dynamite.
1) Polyphenols in chocolate:
Polyphenols neutralize the effect of microorganisms that cause bad breath. It also prevents the oral bacteria to form acids from sugar and starch that leads to cavities in teeth.
2) Antioxidants in chocolate:
Dark chocolate has four times more antioxidants than green tea. Antioxidants limit plaque production and also reduces inflammation which helps in preventing gum diseases.
3) Tannins in chocolate:
Tannins are the one that give the dark chocolate a bitter taste and dark color. These tannins prevent cavities by inhibiting the bacteria from sticking to your teeth.
4) Flavonoids in chocolate:
A flavonoid named epicatechin has been found to slow down tooth decay. Dark chocolate contains many such flavonoids.
WHY ONLY DARK CHOCOLATE, IS MILK CHOCOLATE BAD FOR TEETH?
Dark chocolate contains 70% cacao which is raw and unprocessed. There are chocolates with 80% and 90% cacao also available in markets. The higher the cacao, the lesser is the milk and sugar. On the other hand, milk chocolate contains only 10-15% cacao. It mainly consists of powdered milk and sugar which makes it detrimental for your teeth and waistline too. Chocolate should contain atleast 70% cacao for most of the benefits to your teeth and body.
HOW DOES DARK CHOCOLATE THEN WORK IN DECREASING CAVITIES?
Our teeth are still exposed to sugar when we eat a piece of dark chocolate, but the effects of sugar on teeth are neutralized by the specific contents in the cacao beans. While I’d love to tell you that chocolate won’t cause any cavities, just remember that moderation is the key. Dark chocolate i.e. raw chocolate is a better choice over the other forms of chocolate.
A key takeaway from this topic is to keep it real and consume more of real chocolate in moderation. Even dark chocolate has sugar. The recommended intake is about 1 ounce per day which approximates to 150 calories. Portion control is important as it can take a toll on your waist line. And of course, skipping brushing is no excuse to eating tooth friendly dark chocolate.
“Flaunt your smile in style with this sweetest discovery!”
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