OPT FOR CHOCOLATE AND A GET A HEATHY SMILE

Cocoa-Based Foods Can Reduce the Risk of Cavities and Improve Oral Health
OVERALL ORAL HEALTH
You should take care of your teeth and gums for good overall health not just your mouth. Research shows there are relationships between poor oral health and conditions like heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and premature babies. Although we don't know everything about the connections to overall health and oral health doctors and researchers are looking closely at the links. Oral disease can cause chronic pain, cavities, gum disease, periodontal disease, gingivitis, bad breath, tooth loss and oral cancer.
Science has shown that your oral health is a gauge on how likely you may be to get a disease. There is a correlation between inflammation of the body (especially the blood stream) and infections of the mouth. This may then cause cardiovascular diseases or things like infections of the heart valves and inflammation of the blood vessels in the heart. You can reduce these risks by keeping a good bill of oral health. The human mouth contains bacteria that produce cavities and other issues such as gingivitis and gum disease. The only way to avoid these problems is to prevent bacteria from growing in the mouth. Prevention in oral health is prevention for your over all health and well being.
Your teeth are vulnerable to dental decay which is a disease that compromises the structure of your teeth. Plaque build up lines your teeth and if not removed by daily maintenance (brushing and flossing) it becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. When this bacteria mixes with sugar from every day foods it begins to chip away at the tooth enamel. This is the beginning stages of a cavity. If your teeth begin to get cavities you will get aching and soreness and could even lead to loosing the affected teeth. Sugar is not the only food that leads to tooth decay. Complex carbohydrates have a hand in tooth decay as well.

MAINTENANCE: THE BASICS
When done correctly maintaining your oral health can prevent future problems. Prevention is always the best medicine when it comes to your oral health. Keep the following in mind:
See your dental professional for a regular check-up and a cleaning. Early detection of cavities or other conditions can save much in the way of discomfort and financial costs.
Quit smoking and using tobacco products. Needless to say, smoking significantly raises the risk of oral conditions, especially oral cancer.
Eat a varied diet. The health of your mouth depends somewhat on the rest of the body. Healthful foods will keep the rest of your body healthy, thereby helping to reduce the risk of mouth related problems.
As discussed, seek to increase your consumption of dark chocolate foods, as it can reduce the risk of and possibly reverse conditions of the mouth.
Finally, brush and floss your teeth daily (at least twice, and more if possible). There's simply no substitute for proper oral hygiene.



DOES CHOCOLATE CAUSE CAVITIES?
For most of our childhood we come to believe that it is our chocolate bars that cause cavities. "Don't eat too many chocolate bars or you'll get a cavity" our mothers and grandmothers would say. Some of you will be surprised to learn that it is just NOT the case.
The most beneficial chocolate to your oral health is dark chocolate or "bitter" chocolate. The chocolate that is most advantageous should contain 70% cocoa and have no fats or oils. Most poor quality chocolate (the candy bars from childhood and traditional milk chocolate) contain mostly milk fats and hydrogenated oils and very little cocoa solids. The lower quality candies also have more sugar which can reduce the amount of valuable flavanoids. This candy chocolate is high in sugar and low in flavanols which may contribute to oral problems where the dark "bitter" chocolate will benefit your mouth.
Many studies conclude that chocolate will assist with oral health. The cocoa in chocolate does not cause the reaction that creates cavity causing acids in the mouth. Scientists in Sweden found that the control group that ate only chocolate and the control group that ate no sweets had similar results.
Since the 1950's many studies were done to investigate how chocolate benefits oral health. These studies have discovered that cocoa contains a type of inhibitory property that is the key substance that helps teeth. In 2006 a research team in Japan found that cocoa kills most of the mouth's bacteria (fusobacterium, nucleatum, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, S. anginosus, S mitis, S salivalius, S sanguinin). The team concluded that the polyphenols also cut back the growth of bacteria in the mouth. It was also found that it partially reduced bad breath.
In a recent study 22 subjects who suffered from a severe gum disease were given chocolate beverages high in flavanols. The gum disease was measured by the amount of bleeding points on the gums and how much their gums had pulled back away from the teeth. A healthy person has no shrinkage and no bleeding of the gums. After the test period was finished (three months) the subjects were examined they found 95% reduction in the number of bleeding points and an 85% reduction in the reduction of the gums. The researchers ultimately concluded that the chocolate did indeed improve the overall health of the subjects gums.

CHOOSE CHOCOLATE FOR A HEALTHY MOUTH
More studies are concluding that chocolate not only tastes great it has numerous health benefits. As far as your oral health is concerned cocoa and dark chocolate can reduce the bacteria in the mouth, reduce bleeding gums, reduce reduction of the gums, enhance breath odor and dramatically reduce the risk of cavities.

Chocolate For Health
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