Chocolate & Tooth Decay

Your kids will love you for this.  Believe it or not, chocolate can actually be good for your teeth.  Recent studies coming from Japan, England, and the U.S. support the fact that chocolate is effective at fighting cavities (Healthy Gums and Teeth Learn More), plaque (Dental Care | 7 Basic Things You Should Do), and tooth decay in the mouth.  Chocolate  can actually prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is a multi-factorial phenomenon and the erosion process of the enamel on the tooth surface is what causes cavity. Acid (Healthy Gums and Teeth) produced by the breakdown of food carbohydrates in the mouth is the cause of this erosion.  For tooth decay to form, plaque bacteria (Bad Breath Fight Learn More) on the tooth surface breaks down starch, and changes sugars to form weak acids, mainly lactic acid, which slowly demineralize the tooth surface and making it soft.

Cocoa Beans & Tooth Decay

However not all of chocolates have this effect. The cocoa in the chocolate is the effective part of the chocolate that is actually useful.  Cocoa beans contain tannins, polyphenols and flavonoids (Flavonoids Wiki Page).  These are strong antioxidant that benefits your mouth and teeth.  Tannins are responsible for chocolate’s slightly bitter taste and are responsible for the sweet’s dark pigments.  Tannins prevents bacteria from sticking to the tooth and as a result preventing cavity.  Polyphenols works to neutralize the microorganisms that cause bad breath, prevent periodontal disease or gum infections, and fights tooth decay.  Flavonoid also works to slow tooth decay.

There are three kinds of chocolate (dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate).  Dark chocolate is the one that is processed the least and is the closest to the cocoa bean. This makes it the healthiest option of the three.  For best results, the chocolate should be 70 percent cocoa or higher.

The Appropriate Amount Of Chocolate To Fight Tooth Decay

Eating 3-4 oz of dark chocolate a day is a great way to take advantage of this magic compound and lower the chance of getting cavities. It’s an easy and fun recommendation your dentist (Best Dentist in Santa Monica) can make; it’s been called the food of the gods, a supposed aphrodisiac, and the drink that Casanova favored.  With the recent studies, it’s now more true than ever, that chocolate is considered to be a super-food. Chocolate has over 300 chemical compounds in it, making it one of the most complex foods we know of. Many of which compounds can be good for our health.