There are certain foods you can eat that are good for your teeth. Some are hard and crunchy and keep the blood flowing to your gums, others are high in the vitamins and minerals your teeth need to stay healthy, and still others simply help clean your teeth. Have you heard that milk can help prevent cavities? If you are wondering if that is true, read your Des Moines Dentist, Dr. Stephen Burds’ blog below to find out.
Sugary Cereals
Many cereals on the market have refined sugar and starch added to sweeten them up. Sugars and starches are bad for your teeth. When they are consumed they remain on your teeth and attract harmful oral bacteria that metabolize them and produce acids as a result. These acids eat away at the surfaces of your teeth. Studies have shown that the risk of cavities is increased for those who eat more than 60 grams of carbohydrates daily, or who eat carbohydrates four times a day.
Milk Alone
It has been indicated that milk can reduce the acidity of dental plaque. The acidity of dental plaque was measured for 20 people after eating dry sugary cereal. After consuming the cereal, certain participants were given milk to drink, others were given apple juice, and a third group drank water. Milk is already known to be beneficial to dental health because it contains calcium and enzymes that promote remineralization. Now it’s been shown that milk reduces the acidity of dental plaque.
Milk with Cereal
The study also discovered that if the milk and cereal were mixed together, the results were not the same. Eating milk mixed with cereal actually increased the acidity in plaque because the milk takes on a thicker, syrupy consistency. Although fruit juice is beneficial to your health because it contains vitamin C and antioxidants that can help fight colds, heart disease, and dementia, it is high in sugar. The mixture most detrimental to tooth health proved to be sugary cereal with milk, followed by drinking fruit juice.
About your Des Moines Dentist
Contact your Des Moines dentist by calling Gateway Dental Group at (515) 244-9565. We welcome patients from River Bend, Kirkwood Glen, East Village, and neighboring communities.