This Thanksgiving, you’ll likely eat a variety of popular side dishes. After all, foods like stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and many more are “Turkey Day” mainstays. Still, you should be extra sure to include cranberries in your holiday eating. As it turns out, these fruits help your teeth and gums stay healthy! To prove it, your St. Augustine dentist is here with the evidence. Read on to learn how cranberry sides boost your oral health during the fall season.
How Do Cranberries Benefit Oral Health?
Cranberries help your mouth due to having polyphenols. Since these nutrients keep bacteria from sticking to teeth, they have several oral health benefits. Said perks include the following:
- Reduced Plaque Buildup: Plaque builds up in your mouth when bacteria bind together. Cranberries disrupt that binding, though, reducing the amount of nasty biofilm on your teeth.
- Less Sugar in Your Mouth: To stick to your teeth, germs rely on complex sugars in your mouth. However, cranberry extracts prevent those carbs from forming. As such, they reduce your odds of tooth decay and cavities.
- Decreased Risk of Gum Disease: Cranberries stop the bacteria that cause gum disease from sticking to your teeth. Therefore, they reduce your risk of getting infected gums.
What About Cranberry Sauces?
You might wonder if cranberries’ oral health positives extend to products that use them — especially cranberry sauce. Well, worry not: the latter often has many of the benefits listed above!
That said, you should be careful with the kind of cranberry sauce you eat. Store-bought brands tend to use lots of sugar, which sometimes raises your risk of tooth decay. For that reason, you’re usually better off having cranberries raw or as a juice. Otherwise, your best bet is to make the cranberry sauce yourself so it has little sugar.
Still, there are ways to reduce the risks of store-bought cranberry sauce. The next time you eat some, try using the tips below:
- Only have a small amount of cranberry sauce at mealtimes.
- Brush your teeth 30 minutes after eating to lower your risk of decay.
- Drink water after eating to wash away excess sugar in your mouth.
As you can see, cranberries can do your teeth a lot of good this season. That being the case, remember to eat plenty of them during the Thanksgiving holidays!
About the Practice
Salt Run Family Dentistry is based in St. Augustine, FL. As led by Drs. Mickey Leth and Bert Tavary, our practice strives to provide quality dentistry for the whole family. To that end, we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dental treatments, as well as emergency care procedures. Whether you need a checkup or a brighter smile, you can count on us to do the job! For more information or to book a visit, reach us on our website or by phone at (904)-824-3540.