Chocolate Oral Benefits

Chocolate, is one of this world's most delicious treats and recent studies have proven that they are good for your health. Emerging research has demonstrate that chocolate can improve your mood, reduce inflammation and even relieve stress. Today scientist are digging deeper than ever to see how the cocoa beans can offer you a broad specter of health benefits. With all this controversy, Sani Dental Group wanted to know the oral benefits chocolate offers you.

Dental Health and Chocolate

Believe it or not, chocolate is good for your teeth, that’s correct the delicious treat is good for your oral health. We know these news are dynamite, but the true is that cocoa beans are a house of good stuff. Cocoa beans contain 3 very strong antioxidants that benefits your mouth and teeth, these are: flavonoids, polyphenols and tannins.

• Flavonoids: this antioxidant helps to slow tooth decay, among other diseases.
• Polyphenols: this antioxidant limits the harmful effects bacteria cause, these effects include: bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay.
• Tannins: is an antioxidant that makes dark chocolate slightly bitter and is responsible for its dark pigments.

Of the three types of chocolates available: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate; dark chocolate is the best option. Dark chocolate is the healthiest option of the three, because of the three it’s the least processed and closets chocolate to cocoa beans. The reason of this is that dark chocolate is around 70% cocoa.

FACT: In order for antioxidants to be effective, chocolate need to be at least 70% pure.

Why Should I Choose Dark Chocolate?

In addition to the reason mention above, dark chocolate contains antioxidants that prevent bacteria from attaching to your teeth and damaging them. Our mouth contains thousands of bacterium, however in the case of oral streptococci, this bacteria produces an acid that eats away at your tooth enamel. Through cocoa butter, your teeth gets a protective coats that prevents plaque from sticking to them. Due to dark chocolate’s abundant number of antioxidants many diseases can be prevented; the antioxidants can reduce the risk of plaque, they work to prevent periodontal diseases, reduce swelling of the gums and reduce inflammation in the body.

FACT: Chocolate has up to 4 times of antioxidants compare to green tea.

Like any foods, dark chocolate should be consumed in moderation, because just as they can offer you several health benefits over consuming chocolate can affect your health. Like all chocolates, dark chocolate is not low in calories. When getting your teeth and hand on some chocolate, preferably dark chocolate, practice portion control. Practicing portion control, will reduce the risk of waistline expansion; this way your teeth and body only receive the benefits.

The Dentist and Chocolate

Every professional will offer you a different opinions regarding chocolate and its oral benefits, in the case of Sani Dental Group, we advise you to practice portion control. Chocolate is delicious and indeed it does offer you several oral benefits, however consuming large amounts of chocolate will hurt your health instead of helping it. The recommend amount of chocolate is 1-2 ounce of chocolate per day, this equal about six Hershey Kisses. Taking care of your teeth is Sani priority and we invite both our readers and patients to subscribe to our newsletter and visit our blog site; in our blog we offer you many tips that will help you improve your oral health. For more information, visit our site or contact our patient coordinator for more details and be part of the Sani Dental Group Experience.