Benefits of Green Tea on Teeth

Green tea is a type of tea that is made from the leaves of the plant Camellia Sinesis. Did you know green tea can also be an excellent addition to your oral health care routine? The difference in green tea and black tea is that green tea undergoes minimal oxidation during processing allowing it to retain its color.

At the Tohoku Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, a researcher named Yasushi Koyama determined that when men between the ages of 40 and 64 drink one cup of green tea a day, they are 19 percent less likely to have less than 20 teeth. In the same study, women were determined to be 13 percent less likely to have less than 20 teeth. Take into consideration this study is talking about one cup of green tea consumed almost every day in the participants' life before the study had taken place.

Equally as important, another study in the Journal of Periodontology came to a remarkable conclusion with nearly all of its 940 Japanese participants. Each participant with indications of bleeding or receding gums who started drinking at least a cup of green tea daily demonstrated improvement in their conditions.

The researchers determined that it is the catechins in the green tea that help to quell the inflammation caused by bacteria. A catechin is a flavonoid phytochemical that has both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Research has determined that the phytochemical epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG present in green tea, is as much as 100 times the potency of vitamin C and 25 times that of vitamin E.

Another great aspect of green tea is that is can stop bad breath. Yes, green tea will indeed halt bad breath by actually interfering with the production of hydrogen sulfides. Hydrogen Sulfide is a chemical compound that is heavier than air, corrosive, and possesses the smell of rotten eggs. Who knew there was so much science to that of bad breath! Green tea will actually stop this nasty chemical from forming by interfering with bacteria via its antimicrobial properties.

To bring the article to a close, green tea has shown in numerous studies its beneficial actions on gums and teeth. It is a miraculous herb in many ways and has proven itself so time and time again. So remember next time before you reach for that energy drink or soda that green tea is way better for your teeth and even your overall health.