Your favorite beer has always played a role on many gatherings and occasions. It is enjoyed by most adults and is a good way of cooling down after a long day. It goes well with many foods and is best served cold. Your cold one could be great for your teeth. This might come as a surprise but there is a science that backs it up. Beer lovers will love it even more.
Traditional beer is usually made from water, barley, and hops in a slow fermentation process. Nowadays, there are added ingredients and sophistication in making them. You can find malted cereal grains, yeast and different flavors with added sugar in beer that varies from different producers.
Here are the ingredients of local beer you can potentially benefit your oral health, as what 24 hr walk in clinic stated.
Dietary Silicon. The best contribution of beer to your dental health would be silicon. Dietary silicon is the key in maintaining the mineral content and repair of connective tissues. Your bones, gums, dentin and especially the enamel are highly mineralized and are potentially the ones to benefit from silicon absorption. Dietary silicon usually comes in the form of orthosilicic acid that is easily absorbed by the body. This promotes the growth and development of new bones. This would benefit people with low bone density on their jaws so that your teeth would have a stronger foundation. The moderate consumption of beer can help avoid osteoporosis and other bone problems. Like mentioned earlier, people with damaged bones on their jaws due to periodontal disease will benefit as it promotes bone growth especially if you want to have dental implants done. Dental implants need a good amount of bones in the jaw to incorporate the implant to the bones itself. Choose beers with lighter malt than the darker ones that have lesser dietary silicon.
Antibacterial Hops. The hops in beers were first used to preserve the beers. A long time ago, refrigeration was not an option and the beers need to be delivered on far places. To keep the beer, they used hops to survive the long trips. The hops in beer contain polyphenols that inhibit the undesirable formation of plaque in your teeth. Drinking beer that has high hop content could save your teeth from dental plaque and gum disease. The bad news for this generation, though, is that beers produced nowadays have lesser hop contents and are loaded with sugar. The polyphenols present in the can of beer you’re enjoying is overpowered by the sugar content. This makes the supposed antibacterial benefit be outweighed by the disadvantage.
People buy and chug beer and not pay attention to the contents and benefits it has. It is important that you don’t rely on the antimicrobial effects of polyphenols and still do your dental care regimen after drinking beer.
Regulate your beer intake to receive beer benefits to work out for you. It’s best to choose your local brewer than the commercial beers as they tend to produce lesser sugar and come with dietary silicon that’s great for oral health.