Tea Teeth

News Note

By Darren Buford

Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Autumn/Winter 2004.

The growing selection of teas in your grocer’s aisles reveal Americans are consuming a larger amount of this comforting drink than ever before. And with the mounting evidence of the benefits of green, oolong, and white teas, who can blame them? But according to the Journal of Dentistry, while many teas contain powerful antioxidants, other varieties, specifically those that have fruit acids such as lemon, may also be eroding enamel. (The only tea during the University of Bristol Dental School study that did not was chamomile.) Consequently, green tea, which has become one of the most popular kinds of tea, was not tested. Researchers suggest that to avoid the potentially tooth-damaging effects of consuming fruit teas, try drinking them through a straw.