As you gather around your table this Thanksgiving, you might take a moment to give special thanks to one of Thanksgiving’s most notable staples: the cranberry. It turns out that cranberries can be allies in the fight against cavities.
For years, cranberries, especially cranberry juice, have been known to contain ingredients that aid in curing as well as preventing bladder infections. More recently, doctors began testing the theory that the characteristics of the cranberry that fight bladder infection may help fight the causes of tooth decay.
The American Dental Association released a study led by oral biologist Hyun Koo, D.D.S., Ph.D., at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Koo and his team found that cranberries can actually protect teeth from cavities by making it difficult for the cavity causing bacteria to cling to the teeth.
Koo’s team also found evidence that cranberry juice disrupts the formation of the building block of plaque. Like masons using cement to build a wall brick by brick, bacteria use enzymes to build dental plaque piece by piece, quickly forming a sticky fortress that covers the tooth and gives bacteria a safe place to thrive on sugar and churn out acid. Koo’s team found that cranberry juice prevents bacteria from forming plaque by inhibiting those enzymes and by stopping additional bacteria from adhering to the teeth.
This doesn’t mean that cranberries hold the key to cavity busting and that eating cranberries means you can skip the toothpaste. Since cranberry juice is usually made with large amounts of sugar it will still cause cavities. As for cranberries without the sugar, it is still a good idea to brush your teeth. Think of the cranberry as an extra boost of protection rather than a substitute for your daily oral healthcare routine. Koo is working to isolate the properties that fight plaque so these properties can be added to everyday oral care products. Until then, the ADA still recommends that you continue your normal oral care routine with or without cranberries.
