Cheese against tooth decay

Tooth decay is all too common in our time. This problem can persist for a variety of reasons. The key to dealing with it is prevention, and in order to prevent tooth decay, you need to attend half year checkups, and also take care of your teeth at home with a rigorous daily routine. And you should avoid food that is bad for your teeth. And while we are on the topic of food....There are a few foods that can prevent tooth decay and that can strengthen your teeth. Dairy products are one such food. These can help our bones and teeth thanks to their high calcium content, and their pH levels also help in preserving teeth, as they are base, and bases help eliminate the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Scientific proof

A study has recently been made in the United States, involving 68 volunteers aged between 12 and 15 years. The kids were given cheese, natural yoghurt and milk. The researchers then checked the pH levels of their mouth, with the intent of finding out which dairy product was the best for the teeth, and which ones made the pH of the mouth better.

Acids and bases

The pH levels of any given chemical tell us how acidic or how base the material is. We consider a level of 5.5 to be pH neutral, and anything below that is acidic, while anything above that is basic. If our oral environment is too acidic, the enamel of our teeth will start to be leached out and disintegrated, leaving the teeth vulnerable. This is bad, as these teeth are prone to decay. This is why chewing gum ads will tell you that our mouths pH levels need to be normalized after every meal. Avoiding foods that are too acidic or too basic is also a good idea, and these types of foods should be consumed in moderation. Acidic foods and drinks include carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and acidic fruits like citrus or pineapple.

Process of the research

The study mentioned above has been released in May in the periodical General Dentistry. The subjects were told to eat Gouda cheese, milk and last of all sugar free yoghurt. They then needed to rinse out their mouth and were given pH tests 10, 20 and 30 minutes after rinsing. The tests were taken from the plaque or biofilm found on the patients tooth surfaces.

The results

When looking at the specimens obtained, they found that no alteration happened with the people who took yoghurt or milk. This is good news too, because this means that these products can neutralize the pH levels in the mouth. But the subjects who ate Gouda had elevated pH levels in the mouth, which is great news. This means that eating cheese can regulate the pH levels in your mouth, and can also strengthen your teeth through its high calcium content, meaning cheese can actually prevent tooth decay, and fight the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Thank God there is a wide variety of cheese, so everyone can find one that they like. Cheese can be a snack too, instead of sweets or fruits. Sweet snacks are bad for teeth, and do not have any nutritional value, and can contribute to obesity and heart disease by providing unnecessary fats and raising our blood sugar. Exercise caution though, as excess is never a good thing, and too much cheese can also be harmful, and most cheeses have high fat content, which can be bad for your weight.

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