How does the foods we eat affect our enamel? Is it true that coffee darkens your teeth, and regular onions strengthen your gums? Let's take a closer look at this in terms of scientific facts.
Tea and coffee
Tea and coffee do stain the teeth, creating a yellowish brown plaque. Chromogens are to blame for this, the so-called pigmented particles that penetrate into the porous enamel of the teeth and are fixed in them. Enhance the effect of tannins - tannins with tart acidity.
According to Diana Levchuk, dentist, the acid affects the structure of the enamel, which makes it porous, and the pigment, accordingly, easier to adhere.
What to do? Dentists advise diluting such drinks with milk to reduce the concentration of pigment. You can conduct a simple experiment: take three eggs and dip each of them in instant coffee for a day, ground coffee and black tea, and then conduct a similar experiment with drinks, where you should add milk.
The result will be as follows: the strongest plaque is formed after instant coffee, in second place - black tea, in third - ground natural coffee. If milk is added, the result is the same, but the color intensity is lower. Another option if you don't want to add milk is to rinse your mouth after drinks.
By the way, green tea worsens the color of teeth least of all, although there is 2 times more tannin in it, but there is less coloring pigment. Moreover, tannin itself is an antioxidant that is useful for the whole body. Not so long ago, scientists have proven that natural green tea has an antiseptic effect that slows down the appearance of microbial plaque on the teeth, which means it serves as the prevention of caries and protects against the appearance of the smell mouth.
Onion
Many believe that onions help preserve teeth, as if it kills bacteria that multiply in the mouth with phytoncides. And some even rub it into their gums. But science treats this with coolness, because the anti-carrious effect of onions has not been proven.
Onions mainly contain vitamin C, which has a beneficial effect on the gums: it strengthens blood vessels and improves blood flow, protecting against tooth loss. But it is not easier and not more convenient, especially for others, to use less odorous products with vitamin C for this: citrus fruits, herbs, red and black currants. And if we talk about bacteria that cause caries (streptococcus mutans), then onions do not kill them.
But it is true that fish can help teeth and gums, or rather, the omega-3 acids contained in its composition. That was the conclusion of an American study from Harvard Medical School, Kenneth Mukkamal. He examined the condition of the gums of more than 9000 people and with the presence of fish in their diets.
According to the researcher, people who eat fish at least occasionally have 25% less risk of periodontal disease. Other scientists conducted another experiment: they took rabbits with the first stage of periodontal disease to study and began to feed them with supplements with omega-3 in the composition. The conclusions were as follows - it is fatty acids that help in the fight against this disease and reduce the risk of its occurrence.
Celery
Another way to help our gums and teeth is to train our gums with hard vegetables. Intensive chewing increases blood flow in the gum tissue, and this strengthens them. In addition, salivation increases during chewing - the liquid washes the teeth, which is an excellent prevention of caries.
It would seem that apples work in a similar way. But these fruits contain malic, tartaric and citric acids, which have a bad effect on tooth enamel, so you do not need to get carried away with sour fruits. They dissolve the surface layer of enamel and increase the sensitivity of the teeth.
After eating an apple, lemon, or similar, be sure to rinse your mouth out with clean water to rinse out the fruit acids.
Chocolate
Now, good news for chocolate lovers. As it turned out, this product does not harm the enamel of the teeth, protects against bacteria. But it must be bitter. That is, a product that contains at least 70% cocoa beans is considered useful. This product contains less sugar and a lot of cocoa butter, which coats the teeth and protects against bacteria.
The substance theobromine, which has antiseptic properties, also helps.
One American company even created a special mouthwash based on it. Instead of fluoride, which cannot be swallowed, they used theobromine. But its price is several thousand rubles. So the cheapest way is to consume dark chocolate. It is also rich in flavonoids - antioxidants that protect cells from destruction.
Safe dosage - up to 30 g of product per day.
General Tips:
- rinse your mouth more often after tea, coffee, citrus fruits;
- eat more solid vegetables and less sugar.
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