Green Tea: Your Herbal Dentist

Though tea is not usually  thought of as being beneficial to teeth, several studies show that green tea is a veritable herbal dentist. . . .

110 people rinsed their mouths for one minute twice a day with 10ml of either a placebo mouthwash or a mouthwash containing 2% green tea.

At the end of the four week study, there was a significant reduction in plaque and gingivitis in the green tea group but not in the placebo group, and the difference between the two groups was significant.

This study shows that rinsing with green tea mouthwash is an effective way of combating plaque and gingivitis (Oral Health Prev Dent 2015;doi:10.3290/j.ohpd.a33447).

Several previous studies have also shown that green tea is good for dental health. The flavanoids in green tea have been shown to prevent tooth decay (Carries Research 1991), and regularly drinking green tea, or rinsing your mouth with it, has been shown to lead to fewer cavities (Nutrition 2002).