You should be rinsing your mouth out with beetroot juice instead of mouthwash, experts have suggested.
Millions of Americans use mouthwash they’ve bought from a store most days to freshen breath and wash away bacteria. The majority of products contain flouride, which kills microbes.
Mouthwashes are also used to treat gum disease, which affects around half the US population.
But these have side effects, including a dry mouth and antimicrobial resistance.
Instead, research has suggested that a molecule named nitrate, which is in leafy green vegetables, has fewer side effects and is more beneficial to oral health.
Research has suggested that a molecule named nitrate, which is in leafy green vegetables, has less side effects and is more beneficial to oral health
More than half the US adult population have gum disease, and most will treat it with mouthwash or in serious cases, antibiotics
Researchers from the University of the West of Scotland studied competitive athletes, who are prone to gum disease because of their high sugar intake (many use energy gels while exercising, which is essentially pure sugar).
The study showed that beetroot juice (containing approximately 12 millimole of nitrate) protected the athletes’ teeth from acidic sports drinks and sugar gels during exercise – suggesting nitrate could be used as a treatment for athletes to decrease their chance of tooth decay.
However, using it as a replacement mouthwash may not be a good idea as it can stain teeth.
Juice is even more likely to stain because it is a concentrated form of the vegetable, experts warn.
Whizzed-up leafy greens, such as, spinach and kale, may be a better option – as they are less likely to stain teeth.
Their host of health benefits are due in part to the nitrate they contain – which can is converted to nitric oxide in the mouth.
There, nitric oxide helps to stop the overgrowth of bad bacteria and reduces oral acidity, which can both result in gum disease and tooth decay.
Antiseptic mouthwash used to treat dental plaque and gum disease contain chlorhexidine.
But this ingredient removes good bacteria as well as bad bacteria and raise acid levels in the mouth, which can lead to disease.
Research also suggests that chlorhexidine might play a part in antimicrobial resistance, which is when bacteria learns to survive the effects of antibiotic drugs after repeated exposure to the treatments.
Antimicrobial resistance is a global health concern, and has been estimated to lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050.
Nitrate, on the other hand, cultivates a healthy balance of good and bad microorganisms in the mouth.
Existing research has shown that drinking lettuce juice for two weeks lessened gum inflammation and increased healthy bacteria levels in patients suffering gum disease.
