Celebrate World Water Day – Best Beverage for Your Smile

No matter if your glass is half empty or half full, drinking water is always good for your health.  Human bodies are 60% to 80% water and staying well hydrated is monumental for overall health. Living in Chicago, we are spoiled with one of the safest community water supplies, but it is not a common thing worldwide. Since 1993, World Water Day takes place annually on March 22^nd to celebrate freshwater and to promote safe drinking water everywhere.

As a dentist, I am eager to promote water for its amazing restorative and preventative qualities. There are at least four reasons why we should join the celebration of water as the best beverage for your smile and overall oral health:

1. Keeps Your Mouth Clean

Water, unlike other drinks, cleans your mouth with every sip. Drinking soda, juices or sports drinks may help you wash down your meal, but they leave behind unwanted sugars and acid on your teeth. This residue promotes and feeds cavity-causing bacteria. Drinking water, on the other hand, dilutes the acids produced by bacteria in your mouth. Although you still need to brush your teeth twice a day, drinking water throughout the day will help keep your smile cavity free.

2. Strengthens Your Teeth

Drinking fluoridated water is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways you can prevent tooth decay. New research published in February 2016 Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology Journal, examining what difference fluoride makes in community water systems. The study compares two Canadian cities, Calgary that stopped adding fluoride to its water and Edmonton that has fluoridated water since 1967. The research found children in non-fluoridated Calgary had more tooth decay that children in the city with fluoridated water.

3. Fights Dry Mouth

Saliva is your number one defense against tooth decay and gum disease. It helps with food digestion as well keeps your teeth strong by washing them with tooth restoring minerals, calcium, fluoride and phosphate. Dry mouth and low saliva flow may put you at risk.  Drinking water can help you to reduce that risk while the cause of dry mouth is identified and addressed.

4. It’s Guilt Free – Zero Calories

Studies have shown that drinking can help you lose unwanted extra pounds. While other beverages may be high in sugar and calories and, therefore, put you at a higher risk of weight gain and health issues such as diabetes, water is a guilt free healthy choice.

So next time you need a drink choose water for your body and your smile and see a dentist to keep your pearly whites healthy!

Artful Smiles Team wishes you happy World Water Day!

Reference:

McLaren L, Patterson S, Thawer S, Faris P, McNeil D, Potestio M, Shawart L. Measuring the short-term impact of fluoridation cessation on dental caries in Grade 2 children using tooth surface indices.  Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, February 17, 2016

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdoe.12215/full

ADA, http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/nutrition/food-tips

UN Water, http://www.unwater.org/campaigns/world-water-day/en/