Tuesday Nov 25, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) – Many
types of beverages can hurt your teeth because
they contain sugar and acids, particularly citric acid.
But if you have a habit of drinking beverage,
there is one type you can drink safely, that is, home brewed green tea, a study
finds.
According to the study published in the July/August issue
of General Dentistry, home brewed green tea is better than black tea when it
comes to tooth protection.
For the study, Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, BDS, MSc, PhD
compared green and black tea to soda and orange juice for their effect on human
teeth.
They found that tea just like water does not have an
erosive effect.
And green tea is better
than back tea due to its natural flavonoids and antioxidants.
But if you drink tea, you are advised not to use any
additives such as milk, lemon or sugar.
Tea should be home brewed and you should avoid prepackaged
iced teas which contain citric acid and high amounts of sugars.
Academy of General Dentistry issued a statement about the
study and offered the following tips:
Tips to decrease erosion:
* Reduce or
eliminate carbonated beverages. Instead, drink water, milk, or tea
* Skip the
additives such as sugar, lemon, and milk
* Drink acidic
drinks quickly and through a straw
* Chew
sugar-free gum to increase saliva flow in your mouth
* Rinse with
water to neutralize the acids, and wait an hour before brushing
Green tea is most popular in the East and black tea is
most welcome in the West.
Tea contains
high levels of fluoride, which dentists believe have a protective effect on the
teeth at certain levels.
But too much of
it could damage teeth.
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