Fluoride has long been touted as the best thing for healthy teeth, but what if something worked better? Recent research has found that a specific compound in chocolate is even more effective at fighting tooth decay than fluoride.

The specific compound is called CBH, and there are quite a few experts guessing that in the not-so-distant future, CBH is going to be the enhancing ingredient for mouthwashes and toothpaste instead of fluoride.

What Do You Have to Do to Get the Benefits?

Ideally, if you want to get the most CBH in your mouth, you want to chew on a handful of cocoa nibs each day. The problem is, most people simply cannot tolerate the taste. Instead, you have a few options. One, you can put some cocoa extract in your meals, or swish it with your mouthwash now if you can find it.

Two, you can dose yourself with 3-4 ounces of dark chocolate per day, since that has the most CBH in it out of the sweeter chocolates. Or three, you can get your hands on (ideally organic) raw chocolate and eat that each day. This gives you the chocolate you want, the CBH you need, and it gives you the highest rates of it since it has the least amount of processing.

If you want something other than fluoride to help strengthen the enamel of your teeth, consider the benefits chocolate may offer. You can't go and eat a bunch of candy bars made of milk chocolate, but this is likely one of the sweetest ways of being able to better care for your teeth that there is. Take the time to speak with your dentist about the benefits of CBH and dark chocolate in your diet, and see what he or she thinks is best.

Please contact our office today if you have any questions about chocolates effects on your oral health.