In our local dentist office, we treat patients of all ages and are frequently asked what patients can do to keep their teeth in excellent oral health. The first thing we recommend is to brush and floss throughout the day so that sugar and bacteria cannot remain on the teeth for a prolonged period of time. Next, it is important to have teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year in order to remove any bacteria or plaque that remains on the teeth. Other than these routine cleanings, what you eat and drink can impact your oral health.

There are certain foods that can help to strengthen and re-mineralize your teeth. Over time, teeth can become weakened, and these foods can help. Green or crunchy vegetables, nuts, and lean protein can all strengthen your teeth over the course of life, without requiring a lot of effort. Now, according to the University of Boston, coffee can help too.

We read a study that indicates drinking coffee can help your teeth and gums to be healthier. The research was published by the University of Boston. Lead researchers Nathan Ng and Raul Garcia, D.M.D., wanted to find out if drinking coffee had any impact on the health of gums and teeth. In order to find out they reviewed dental exams and food intake surveys that were collected on over one thousand men by the Department of Veteran Affairs in Boston over the course of thirty years. “This provided a depth of data and as dentists, we were interested in knowing the results.”

After breaking the men into one group that drank coffee every day and one group that didn’t, they started to evaluate their dental exams. It turns out that men who drank coffee daily had fewer teeth with bone loss than those who didn’t. This is fairly substantial considering that the information was gathered over three decades by observing the same group of men. Drinking coffee appeared to be the main differentiating factor between the two groups so one can safely assume that there are oral health benefits to drinking coffee.

Lead author, Raul Garcia, D.M.D, believes that coffee may help to prevent gum disease because the caffeine inside of it may be preventing gums from swelling. Swollen gums are typically the first sign of gum disease so it would make sense that if gums aren’t swelling, the disease will be reduced or prevented overall. When gum disease is left untreated and spreads, it can create pockets in the gum tissue where bacteria gathers and can attack the exposed teeth and roots. This leads to bone loss and teeth can eventually fall out. By preventing swelling and gum reduction, coffee could indeed be beneficial.

As a dentist, we also know that there are two sides to every story and coffee does have some downfalls. It will stain your teeth, so coffee drinkers are likely to need a teeth whitening procedure. If you drink coffee with cream and sugar, the sugar could also become a cavity risk. By brushing and flossing throughout the day, visiting our dental office for teeth cleanings, and eating a healthy diet, you can actively help to prevent gum disease and tooth decay.