Why Is Dark Chocolate Good for Your Teeth?

You probably know that sugary foods aren’t great for your teeth or for your overall health. However, did you know that other ingredients can positively affect the health of your mouth? Some foods, such as dark chocolate, could actually have a number of benefits.

Sugary foods can create an environment where bad bacteria can grow and produce acids that can break down tooth enamel. But did you know that certain foods, namely foods that contain an ingredient called tannin, can actually reduce the acid in your mouth? Dark chocolate is actually one of these foods.

Tannin is an ingredient that is found in cocoa. You can expect to enjoy more benefits from dark chocolate than from milk chocolate, because dark chocolate often contains more cocoa. Furthermore, dark chocolate has less sugar in it than milk chocolate does. So eating dark chocolate could actually have a number of benefits.

That being said, you may want to consider avoiding too much dark chocolate. You should also remember to brush your teeth after you eat chocolate—though we suggest waiting to brush for at least 30 minutes after you eat. Otherwise, your enamel could be softened, and you could accidentally damage your pearly whites. Tannin could also damage stain your teeth if you eat too much of it, but brushing should help.

If you’re interested in learning more about maintaining the health of your mouth, please don’t hesitate to give Lodo Dental a call at 303-623-5636. Our dentist, Dr. Furuta and Dr. Fox, will be happy to answer any questions you may have and examine the health of your mouth. We look forward to hearing from you.