Is chocolate good or bad for your teeth?

Do you know that chocolate is good for your teeth? And that it is even specifically anti-cariogenic? No, this is not a joke.

Chocolate is unfairly accused of all the wrong things, but that's because there is a misinterpretation of the name. Real chocolate is too often confused with a sweet food that is only partially made of cocoa.

Nutrident returns in detail on the composition of chocolate and its properties.

The Making of Chocolate

Chocolate comes from the long, yellowish, rugby ball-shaped fruits of the cocoa tree. The beans are extracted and left to ferment in wooden crates to melt the bitter pulp.

They are then dried and roasted at a temperature between 120 and 170° C for at least one hour.

The almonds are then recovered and the cocoa bean separated from its shell, thanks to the crushing. This is how we recover the very bitter cocoa. It is then mixed with sugar and/or milk to make chocolate.

It remains to proceed to the conching which brews hot the preparation by adding cocoa butter to obtain a fluid paste, then hardened to be shaped into bar.

Here is a short video history of the discovery and development of chocolate marketing:

The Composition of Cocoa

What will interest us for the health of the teeth is the composition of cocoa, because it contains two beneficial components for the teeth:

1. Tannins whose particularity is to inhibit the development of oral bacteria;
2. Fluoride, which is well known for strengthening tooth enamel.

When cocoa melts in the mouth, its fat forms a veil that will protect the enamel of the teeth.

If you eat dark chocolate, it is made of cocoa, cocoa butter and sugar.

For the good health of teeth, it should contain as little sugar as possible, which is why slightly bitter chocolate is better.

The bitter compound in dark chocolate is called theobromine. Its particularity is to harden the surface of the enamel of the teeth. Eating dark chocolate helps protect teeth from staining and discoloration.

On the other hand, you should always remember to brush your teeth afterwards to remove the sugar contained in the chocolate.

Eat Good Chocolate

For chocolate to be healthy, it must be composed of at least 70% cocoa. Chocolate-based sweets often contain far too much sugar and fat, which are bad for your health in general and your teeth in particular.

Generally speaking, milk chocolate or white chocolate are of poor quality. There are only a few in the high-end category.

The big differences in the quality of chocolate come from the fact that the raw material comes from far away and is bought at a high price. The cocoa tree is mainly cultivated in Latin America, Central America, Asia and West Africa.

A cheap chocolate contains inevitably little cocoa, for a lot of sugar and fat. Low-end chocolate can also cause stomach aches and pimples, which you won't get with quality chocolate.

Recipe Ideas

Isabelle Schillig, a naturopath in Grenoble, has developed a very tasty recipe for chocolate-courgette fondant that we recommend.

Here's an interesting recipe for making dark chocolate bars when your guests show up unexpectedly!

Antioxidants, Vitamins and Minerals, the Wonders of Chocolate!

Against Aging, and For a Better Blood Circulation

Chocolate is known to be rich in antioxidants that delay cell aging and are praised for their preventive effect on many diseases, including cancer.

Cocoa contains epicatechin – a tannin of the flavonoid family – considered beneficial for blood circulation and antioncogenic. This translates into protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancers, especially of the prostate and breast.

Other components of dark chocolate include copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins B1 and B2.

Its carbohydrates are known to stimulate intellectual performance and the stearic effect of cocoa butter helps prevent the level of bad cholesterol from rising.

Its Anti-Depressant Effects

Another important effect of dark chocolate is its anti-depressant effect! It is attributed psychoactive components that influence the feeling of well-being. In addition, chocolate helps to make up for magnesium deficiencies which are quite common in our diet and which cause stress, fatigue and even spasmophilia.

Chocolate not only excites the taste buds, but also stimulates the entire body and brain.

Good for your teeth, good for your general health, good for your morale, good for giving you energy, you would be wrong to deprive yourself of the pleasure of chocolate!

If you're looking to improve your oral hygiene, and you're open to our opinion on the electric toothbrush and that of your dentist, we recommend our guide on the subject.

Finally, if you want to remove some stains from your teeth, it would be wise to check out our pick of the best teeth whitening.

We suggest you continue reading with this article: Coke and cavities.

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