Tea and Teeth

That cup of after-dinner green tea does more than soothe your mind and belly: it fights cavities, too.

Tea is rich in fluoride—In fact, fluoride is the only mineral found in significant quantities in tea. That's the reason it's added to municipal water supplies and to toothpastes and mouthwashes. Fluoridated water usually contains between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million (ppm), while green tea naturally contains between 1.32 and 4.18 ppm. And there's no danger of fluoride toxicity when you drink tea. (Just don't add sugar—that would defeat the purpose!)

The benefits of tea on oral health were demonstrated in a Japanese study published in a dental research magazine in 1994. Thirty-five volunteers age 18 to 29 were asked to refrain from brushing or flossing their teeth for four days. Instead, they rinsed their mouths with a solution of tea polyphenols after each meal and before bedtime. In 34 of the volunteers, bacterial counts and plaque were significantly deceased.

Tea has other beneficial effects on oral health. In lab tests, the catechins in all kinds of tea—black, green, Oolong, and pu-erh—have been shown to inhibit or even destroy the bacteria that cause dental plaque. Even a single cup of tea produced this protective effect.

---The Republic of Tea---