There’s some good amount of controversy out there whether chocolate is bad for your teeth or not. Or, in fact, whether it is actually good. So keep reading…
One of our sources indicates that dark chocolate has a good amount of antioxidants that inhibit the proliferation of a certain bacteria that causes tooth decay. This bacteria produces acids that affect the enamel in our teeth. The antioxidants in chocolate counter the effects of this acid production.
On the other hand, there is the question and concern about chocolate’s sugar levels. But there is one more ingredient in chocolate that also needs to be mentioned, which is cocoa butter. Before we discuss sugar, let’s see what our sources say about cocoa butter. What we’ve been able to research is that cocoa butter has a coating effect that actually reduces the ability of plaque to stick to our teeth. Regarding sugar and teeth, some chocolate has high levels of sugar, but normally it is characterized by dissolving quickly and thus has no time to increase acid levels. This is good news.
The other concern with chocolate is its degree and amount of caffeine. Although true, our sources indicate that the levels of caffeine are very low –so low, in fact, that its effects are not noticeable. A cup of coffee has 300% more caffeine than one ounce of chocolate.
What other sources tell us are not the effects of chocolate in our teeth, but in our overall diet. Chocolates with processed sugar can affect our cholesterol levels, and consuming large quantities of chocolate pump in large amounts of carbohydrates into our body, which can affect our weight.
What do we recommend?
Small dosages are always better than large ones. The myth we are breaking here, however, is the issue about chocolate ruining our teeth. One note though: if you just had your teeth whitened, your dentist will ask you to refrain from eating or drinking dark substances. Chocolate could be one of those.