Is cranberry juice good for your oral health?
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Cranberry, popularly known as “Kalakai” in Tamil, and “Karonda” in Northern parts of India has an inevitable place in the diet of many Americans. Their thanksgiving parties are incomplete without delicious sides, and juices prepared from cranberries. Surprisingly, the sour taste fruit has high nutritional value and keeps us far from various ailments.
Cranberries contain carbohydrates, fiber, protein, sodium, Vitamins A, C & E. Similarly, this fruit is loaded with antioxidants such as Quercetin, Myricetin, Ursolic acid, Proanthocyanidins, and Peonidin. In simply, cranberries and their extracts have many privileges like preventing liver disease, urinary tract infection, improving eyesight, reducing blood pressure, boosting immunity, etc.
On the other hand, cranberry juice is recommended as a natural remedy for certain oral disorders because of its health-boosting nature. Keep reading to know more.
How does cranberry juice benefit your oral health?
The Proanthocyanidins present in cranberries prevent the bacteria stick to the bladder wall thus it prevents urinary tract infections. Similarly, it prevents the oral bacteria from sticking over the teeth and binding together so that you can protect teeth and oral tissues from microbial invasion.
As bacteria accumulation in our mouth is the building block of various dental disorders, cranberry juice safeguards our oral cavity more than you think. Here are some instances:
- It reduces plaque build-up by up to 95%.
- As bacteria build-up is reduced to a great extent, calcification is minimized so that you have fewer chances of developing gum diseases.
- Cranberry juice is also powerful to control harmful acids in the mouth thereby it neutralizes the mouth’s pH value and reduces bacteria thriving in our mouth.
- The ability of cranberry juice to disrupt the bacteria accumulation is also helpful in treating the white tongue also.
Moreover, the teeth enamel of people suffering from gastrointestinal, digestive diseases gets softened because the stomach acids reach back to the mouth and tickle the teeth frequently. Cranberries can control bile acids in our guts and support in strengthening the digestive system, preventing diseases like GERD.
How should you take cranberry juice?
Aside from the nutritional compounds, cranberries are quite acidic. On the other hand, the canned cranberry juice available in the market contains sweeteners like sugar to lessen the fruit’s soul flavor.
Hence it is clear that excess intake of cranberry juice available in markets will harm your oral health. As mentioned earlier, the fruit is acidic, it also tends to erode the teeth enamel. Moreover, overconsumption of cranberry juice will cause kidney stones.
So you should eat cranberry and consume juice extracted from the fruit at moderate levels. Likewise, prepare the juice yourself without adding any artificial sweeteners because those 100% cranberry juice delivers the exact oral health-boosting benefits we discussed now.
Taking cranberry juice along with the meal is the best way to enjoy its benefits without any potential problems.
