TEA AND YOUR TEETH…

Regular intake of fluoride is recommended to protect against dental cavities and gum disease.

Tea is a natural source of fluoride and just one cup can contain 0.3 to 0.5 mg. Studies show that the polyphenolic activity of tea may also benefit oral health. However, its not all teas that are this way. The best tea is Green Tea for oral health.

Best Health wrote that green tea can help with cavity prevention, gum health, less tooth loss, cancer control, and better breath. Nature wrote that with origins dating back over 4,000 years, green tea has long been a popular beverage in Asian culture, and while ancient Chinese and Japanese medicine believed green tea consumption could cure disease and heal wounds, recent scientific studies are beginning to establish the potential health benefits of drinking green tea, especially in weight loss, heart health, and cancer prevention. Researchers observed that for every one cup of green tea consumed per day, there was a decrease in all three indicators, therefore signifying a lower instance of periodontal disease in those subjects who regularly drank green tea.

2-3 servings of tea a day contributes to fluoride intakes, but levels do not exceed European safe limits and are not even high enough to reach recommended levels.

This suggests that a higher tea consumption of 4-5 cups daily would be better for our dental health. Among higher consumptions of tea ( up to 5 cups fluoride intakes meet recommended levels and are still below safe limits. In children aged 4-10 years an appropriate intake would be 1-2 servings and in older children up to 4 servings daily could be consumed while remaining within limits for fluoride and caffeine. Always check with your dentist before changing your tea drinking habits.

Tea can stain your teeth. You can tell when someone drinks a lot of tea because they will have yellow or brown stains on their teeth. It is the tannins in tea that causes the stain as tannins are yellow or brownish substances that give tea its colour. You could always try rinsing your mouth after a cuppa to stop the tea from staining your teeth.