Saturday 10 January 2015

Can consuming red wine prevent cavities?

Have you seen news stories declaring the cavity fighting powers of red wine? Think it seems too good to be true?

You’re right to be skeptical. Despite recent stories, it turns out that drinking red wine hasn’t been shown to be good for your teeth. The stories were based on a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry which found that red wine with or without alcohol had no effect on the growth of S. mutans, the bacteria that causes cavities. What the researchers actually reported was that red wine and dealcoholized red wine were effective in limiting growth of F. nucleatum and S. oralis—two bacteria that are closely associated with gum disease.

So, does this mean red wine may be good for gum health? Maybe. If you hold it in your mouth for two minutes every seven hours for seven days like the researchers did. For now, the ADA recommends you stick to brushing for two minutes twice a day and flossing daily for good dental health.

For more tips on how to prevent cavities, please contact our office to schedule your appointment with Dr.Jennifer Thomm at Great Lakes Dental.

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