Milk May Help Reduce Tooth Decay

If you like to eat sugary foods, then drinking milk afterwards could reduce the damage caused to your teeth. When you eat sugary foods, the bacteria in dental plaque produce acids, which attack your tooth enamel, eventually causing cavities. An American study looked at whether drinking water, apple juice or milk or doing nothing at all after eating sugary cereal would affect the acidity of dental plaque. They discovered that drinking milk was the most beneficial in helping to lower acidity, followed by water, eating cereal only and lastly by drinking apple juice.

The beneficial effect might be because milk contains plenty of calcium, which helps to strengthen tooth enamel, and it’s a study that shows the importance of thinking about the order in which you eat foods. For example, it is always better to consume sugary foods as part of a main meal rather than as a snack, because how frequently your teeth are exposed to acids is just as crucial as the quantity of sugar consumed.