Take heart all you sports fans that munch away while watching the games. Your teeth are not doomed according to new research done at the University of Illinois. By washing down starches and sugary foods with milk prevents damage to your teeth. This rinse reduces acid levels in plaque and can prevent harm to tooth enamel and decay.
The new study was lead by Dr. Christine Wu, an expert on dental caries was just published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. It involved 20 adults eating 20 grams of dry Fruit Loops cereal and then drinking different beverages — whole milk, tap water or pure apple juice.
The study concluded that “If understood and implemented properly, the order that food is eaten can be used as a tool to preserve good oral health”. In English this means drink milk last. A good swish and swallow really does help a lot.
For example, most sugar-added cereals combine refined sugar and a starch. When those two carbohydrates are consumed by the bacteria in the dental plaque they produce damaging acids.
Unfortunately it is not only cereal that is a problem. Any similar combinations of sugar and starch would produce the same results. Especially bad are foods that that are sticky and adhere to the teeth.
Now for the good news. The acidity in plaque increased after consuming cereal with or with out sugar and remained very acidic for 30 minutes. Participants who drank milk after eating sugary cereal showed the most decrease in acidity.
Water also decreased the acidity but less than milk. Those who had apple juice remained at a high acidity. Unfortunately there was no testing done on alcoholic beverages.
Results from the study found that the last food item consumed exerts by far the greatest influence on subsequent plaque acidity,” according to Dr. Wu. Consumers can easily modify their diet to prevent the cavity-causing effects of carbohydrates and sugary foods.”
As an Encino family dentist I try to remind people that diet plays an important role in oral health. Few studies have looked at how the various combinations of food, and the order in which they are eaten. This information can be very helpful in fighting decay.
Nutrition is one of the subjects I cover when I lecture someone in my Encino dental office, especially when I see someone with lots of decay. I strongly believe that a good diet is essential to good oral health. To learn more follow this link. I am big on prevention!
Tip of the day: I really don’t expect many to give up our cherished junk foods and swish and swallow with milk after reading this. But swishing is an effective way to reduce the amount of decay one gets. Give it a try.
Allan Melnick DDS
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