Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Green tea protects teeth

Many types of beverages can hurt your teeth because they contain sugar and acids, particularly citric acid. But if you have a habit of drinking beverage, there is one type you can drink safely, that is, home brewed green tea. According to the study published in the July/August issue of General Dentistry, home brewed green tea is better than black tea when it comes to tooth protection. For the study, Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, BDS, MSc, PhD compared green and black tea to soda and orange juice for their effect on human teeth. They found that tea just like water does not have an erosive effect. And green tea is better than black tea due to its natural flavonoids and antioxidants. But if you drink tea, you are advised not to use any additives such as milk, lemon or sugar. Tea should be home brewed and you should avoid prepackaged iced teas which contain citric acid and high amounts of sugars says the Academy of General Dentistry.

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