How Tea Benefits Your Teeth and Gums
January is National Tea Month! Can’t you just smell the aroma? We would like to shed a little light on the many ways tea benefits your teeth and gums. Tea often gets a bad wrap when it comes to teeth due to the staining factor, but tea can actually strengthen your teeth and gums and improve your overall health.
The beverages you choose to drink have a significant impact on oral health. Although water is essential and should be a main source of hydration throughout the day, we all have cravings for something with a little flavor to quench our thirst. Brewed tea is one of the best options available when it comes to flavored beverages and oral health. Tea has anti-bacterial properties that may help protect against cavities and gum disease.
There have been many studies about the benefits of tea on oral health. Research has shown that tea has almost no erosive effect on tooth enamel. There have also been studies showing that black tea may be linked to the reduction in likelihood of developing cavities. If you are a fan of green tea, you can benefit from the antioxidant compounds in it. Antioxidants are effective in fighting and preventing gum disease and overall inflammation in your body.
Go ahead and treat yourself to that cup of tea, but there are a few things to keep in mind when you do:
- Avoid Adding Sugar
- Avoid Prepackaged Tea
- Brush After Consumption
- Follow with Water (If You Can’t Brush)
Along with your daily home care routine and regular dental checkups, your smile benefits from your healthy choices. South Tampa Smiles encourages healthy eating and drinking habits to all of our patients. Give us a call at (813) 289-0560. to schedule your next visit with us.
Sources on How Tea Benefits Your Teeth and Gums:
Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
There are moments when parents may compromise just about anything to get your baby to sleep. Nursing and bottle feeding are very often used as a comforting methods. Your little bundle of joy becomes instantly quieted and soon falls to sleep. What does feeding baby to sleep mean for teeth? Should you break those bedtime habits once your baby develops teeth? Furthermore, how can you prevent your baby from developing baby bottle tooth decay?
There is little evidence supporting that breast milk alone increases the risks of tooth decay in babies. Actually, some studies suggest the lactoferrin found in breast milk may aid in fighting the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Breast milk does not lower the pH of the mouth like many other liquids do. A lower oral pH environment can encourage bacteria growth.
With this knowledge, there is really no rush to wean your baby from bedtime feeding at the first sign of tooth eruption. It could be way too early considering tooth eruption can occur as early as 3 months of age. Breast milk does contain sugars and so does baby formula which can cause a more acidic environment. When your baby’s teeth are coated with sugary liquids for long periods of time, there is an increased risk for tooth decay. This is more prevalent with sugary drinks once your baby begins to wean and change eating habits. Drinking sugary drinks from a bottle at bedtime significantly increases the risk of decay.
Baby bottle tooth decay can have some serious consequences, such as crowns and even tooth extractions in severe cases. Primary baby teeth are very important for the proper development of your child’s permanent teeth and jaw. Proper care for your baby’s teeth from birth can help prevent other dental problems including misalignment of a their bite, malformed permanent teeth and painful infections.
Tips to Avoid Baby Bottle Tooth Decay:
- Try keeping your baby from falling asleep with milk that has not been swallowed.
- Remove the bottle once your baby falls asleep.
- Don’t put juice or other sugary drinks in their bottle. Stick to breast milk, formula and water until they are able to drink from a cup.
- Once your baby’s teeth start coming in, limit the potential for bacteria transmission by not sharing cups, spoons, etc.
Start your baby off with proper oral hygiene right from the beginning!
Contact South Tampa Smiles for more information or to schedule an appointment at (813) 289-0560.
Further Reading:
South Tampa Smiles wishes everyone a Happy New Year and many blessings in the year to come!
Dental Blog Year in Review – 2016
As the year winds to a close, the South Tampa Smiles team hopes you all have found happiness in what 2016 has brought to you. For us, it has been another great year of growth and gratitude. We would like to thank each of our loyal patients as well as all of our wonderful new patients this year! South Tampa Smiles loves to share quality information, helpful tips, and new technologies with our patients and community. We have hand-picked our top 10 dental blog posts we shared throughout 2016. Here are the highlights for our patients to recap on or just in case you missed one due to fast-moving social media feeds.
Our Top 10 Dental Blog Posts
- Get a Celebrity Smile from Your South Tampa Dentist – We offer high quality cosmetic dentistry using the latest technologies and equipment. If you are looking for a Hollywood smile, read more.
- Introducing Dr. Benedict – We knew everyone would be excited to meet Dr. Benedict. This post has a link to her bio on our website.
- Sedation Dentistry in South Tampa – We offer sedation dentistry for those patients that are nervous about having dental treatment. This article explains sedation dentistry in more detail and walks you through the process.
- Know What Type of Smile You Want – Each of us want different things. Some people want a smile of perfection while others are fine with little imperfections. So before seeking cosmetic dental treatment, you need to know what type of smile you want.
- Rejuvenate Your Smile This Fall – Rejuvenating your smile rejuvenates your whole self. What better time than just before the holidays and all the festivities?
- How to Brush Your Teeth Like a Hygienist – This article is step-by-step proper oral hygiene instructions for your home care routine.
- Pumpkins are Good for Your Teeth – We take topics that are “in season” and narrow our focus down on one area, like pumpkins. It’s interesting to learn how all the different foods affect your oral health.
- A Vote for Veneers – If you are looking into cosmetic dentistry, veneers look like natural teeth and are our top choice for achieving the perfect smile.
- Replacing Old Dental Bridges – Maintaining all dental work is very important. It’s sometimes necessary to replace old fillings, bridges and partials, to keep your teeth in optimum health.
- Brace Yourself. Winter is Coming! Six Month Braces – No-one wants to wear metal on their teeth for years. Thanks to dental technology, unnoticeable braces in 6 months or less has become a viable option.
We hope you enjoyed reading through our favorite articles from this year. We try to reach out to our patients and offer information to help everyone maintain bright and healthy smiles. We’re so grateful to be able to share with each and every one of you. We have a Get Caught Up section on the blog page of our website for those that would like further reading. All of our dental blog posts are updated to Facebook and Twitter, so come follow along…we update regularly. South Tampa Smiles is eager to start this new year and continue offering the highest quality care to all of our patients in the Tampa Bay area. Give us a call at (813) 289-0560 to schedule your next visit and keep your smile bright and healthy for 2017. We wish you all a happy and healthy new year!
National Re-Gifting Day is the Thursday before Christmas each year. If you’ve already gotten your Holiday Smile on point, why not pay it forward to your loved ones with a gift that will really make them smile? South Tampa Smiles offers teeth whitening, veneers, bonding and other cosmetic dental treatments to give our patients the bright and beautiful smile they’ve always wished for. Contact us today to find out about our cosmetic dental treatments or to schedule an appointment at (813) 289 – 0560. Happy Holidays!
December 13th is the perfect day to celebrate this warm and cozy favorite on a cold day. Enjoy this National Cocoa Day everyone! Yummy!
