Posted By Dr. Mercola | January 06 2011

Compounds found in red wine and cranberries can prevent cavities and plaque build-up.  The wine compounds, which are called polyphenols, do this by blocking a molecule made by the bacteria streptococcus mutans.

These molecules break down sugar to make sticky molecules called glucans, which let bacteria cling to your teeth and damage their surfaces.

Live Science reports:

"But the fermented grape stems, seeds, and skins left over from wine production contain high amounts of polyphenols. The polyphenols can block the ability of S. mutans to make glucans ... [C]ompounds in cranberries work similarly -- they block the molecules that enable the sticky surface to form on our teeth."

Sources:

  Live Science December 17, 2010 

  Caries Research 2010; 44(2):116-26 

Both cranberries and red wine contain powerful plant antioxidants known as polyphenols which actually help prevent bad bacteria from sticking to your teeth and producing acid that can erode your tooth enamel, leading to cavities.

Red Wine and Cranberries: A Powerful Duo for a Healthful Smile?

Researchers found that polyphenols in red wine prevent bacteria from making glucans, which allow bacteria to stick to your teeth and lead to plaque build-up and tooth damage.

And when fed to rats, the compounds in cranberries, called A-type proanthocyanidins, reduced bacteria's ability to produce glucans and acid by 70 percent, while cavities were reduced by 45 percent.

Past studies have also found that lactic, malic, succinic, and tartaric acids in wine were effective atkilling 99.9 percent of dental (and sore throat) bacteria. A beverage containing 25 percent cranberry juice also inhibited bacteria from binding and accumulating on an artificial tooth by 67-85 percent, leading researchers to suggest that cranberry dental floss and toothpaste might give you a healthier smile.

But while the polyphenol compounds are proving to be powerful protectants for your teeth, this doesn't mean you should start gargling with Cabernet and cranberry juice.

There Are Better Ways to Protect Your Teeth

Toothpastes and mouthwashes with added plant polyphenols may be worth trying out in the future, should they become available. But resist the urge to start downing glass after glass of cranberry juice or red wine, as the effect most likely will not be the same.

Most cranberry juice contains added sugar, and even 100% pure juice varieties and red wine are forms of sugar and contain fructose. Sugar, of course, is public enemy #1 for your teeth, not only feeding bacteria in your mouth but also promoting the formation of acid that will erode tooth enamel and lead to cavities.

If you really want to eat cranberries, the healthiest way to eat them is in their unprocessed raw form, such as adding a small handful to your vegetable juice. But even then the natural acidity of cranberries can strip essential minerals from your teeth.

And as for red wine, the healthy compounds are in the grape seeds and grape skins, NOT in the alcohol caused by fermenting the sugar in the grape pulp. In my opinion, it's not a good idea to drink alcohol, even red wine, as the risks outweigh the benefits.

On the other hand, most people whose diets include very little sugar and few processed foods have very low rates of tooth decay. So limiting, or eliminating sugar, and avoiding processed foods -- along with regular cleanings with your natural dentist -- will ensure that your teeth stay healthy naturally.

Your Food Choices are Important for Your Teeth

In the quest for healthy teeth and gums, nothing may be more important than your diet.

In the 1900s, Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist who was one of the major nutritional pioneers of all time, did extensive research on the link between oral health and physical diseases.

A mouth full of cavities, Price learned, went hand in hand with a body either full of disease or generalized weakness and susceptibility to disease. Yet Dr. Price found, on average, less than 1 percent of tooth decay in all the native people he visited!

He also found that these people's teeth were perfectly straight and white, with high dental arches and well-formed facial features. And there was something more astonishing: none of the people Price examined practiced any sort of dental hygiene -- not one of his subjects had ever used a toothbrush (not that I recommend you try this at home)!

Dr. Price noticed some similarities between the native diets that allowed the people to thrive and maintain such healthy smiles. Among them:The foods were natural, unprocessed, and organic (and contained no sugar except for the occasional bit of honey or maple syrup).The people ate foods that grew in their native environment. In other words, they ate locally grown, seasonal foods.Many of the cultures ate unpasteurized dairy products, and all of them ate fermented foods.The people also ate a significant portion of their food raw.All of the cultures ate animal products, including animal fat and, often, full-fat butter and organ meats.

If you, too, eat properly and maintain optimal health, you're highly unlikely to develop cavities or other dental problems. They really only occur when you're eating the wrong foods. So pay attention to your diet, as this is a key to keeping you safely out of the dentist's chair -- at least for visits that involve more than routine cleaning.

If you haven't already taken our nutritional typing test I would encourage you to do so. The test allows you to start the process of helping to understand what foods you were designed to eat as a result of your specific biochemistry and genetics.

Remember there is no perfect diet for everyone and Nutritional Typing helps you understand the foods that are your ideal fuel and will make you thrive. We charged $29 for this test in the past, but it is now available for free so please take advantage of this offer and take the Nutritional Typing test now.

Fluoride for Your Teeth: Friend or Foe?

Any discussion of oral health would not be complete without a mention of fluoride … and for those who still don’t know this is NOT a friend to your teeth or your overall health.

Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, which results in white and brown spots on your teeth. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth and other health issues.

Promoters of fluoridation say that the markings of dental fluorosis are "just cosmetic," but it can also be an indication that the rest of your body, such as your bones and the rest of your organs, including your brain, has been exposed to too much fluoride also.

Unfortunately, fluoride exposure comes from much more than just an occasional application at your dentist’s office or your toothpaste. If you live in the United States or certain parts of Canada, fluoride is also added to your drinking water, which means you’re exposed on a daily basis whether you like it or not.

Adding insult to injury, fluoride works from the outside of the tooth, not from inside of your body, and there is practically no difference in tooth decay between fluoridated and non-fluoridated countries, and no difference between states that have a high- or low percentage of their water fluoridated.

What there IS, however, is extensive research showing health risks from fluoride consumption, which is why we have joined forces with the Fluoride Action Network to get fluoride out of U.S. and Canadian drinking water.

For more information, visit the Fluoride Action Network; they're an absolutely phenomenal resource for further education.