Heart Health: Don't Neglect Dental Care

Your teeth could be plagued with cavity-causing bacteria. Yes, brushing your teeth and going to your dentist will help protect you from these oral pathogens. But, is that enough? Thankfully, the following tropical drink can help you prevent oral ailments.

Secrets Behind The Tropical Drink

The first dental-friendly ingredient you should pay attention is the coconut water. This recipe calls for fresh coconut water, which happens to have a high pH value.

The high pH value of coconut water will help inhibit bacterial reproduction. The cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth need a negative or low pH value to survive and flourish. And drinking coconut water rebalances the pH value in your mouth, making it uninhabitable to harmful oral pathogens.

The second ingredient that should be highlighted is raw honey. Raw honey contains several enzymes that disrupt the reproductive capabilities of the cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth. Not to mention the fact that raw honey is highly osmotic. That means the bacteria in your mouth will dehydrate to death when they come into contact with honey. You can purchase raw honey in your local health food store, online or at your local bee farm.

The recipe also calls for pineapple, which is great news for your teeth, too. Pineapples contain an active ingredient called bromelain. Bromelain inhibits the formation of bacterial biofilm. Bacterial biofilm is the first step towards plaque. It is an invisible layer that bacteria use to stick to your teeth to reproduce in exponential numbers. Plaque can lead to things like dental erosion, cavities or gum disease.

Remember these ingredients are only meant to help prevent dental ailments; you should still see a dentist (such as one from Dental Associates PC) for your regular dental checkups.

Tooth-Friendly Coconut and Pineapple Drink

What you will need:

• 2 cups of chopped pineapple 
• 1 cup of fresh coconut water
• ½ a teaspoon of fresh minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon of raw honey (or more if you want the drink sweeter)
• Juice from 1 lime
• Blender
• Strainer
• A few cubes of ice

Steps:

1. Liquefy the pineapple slices in your blender.
2. Now strain the pineapple mixture with your strainer. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients along with the pineapple juice, and blend well.
4. Taste to see if you need to make adjustments.
5. If you are happy, your done. If not, add more or less to your liking.
6. Enjoy your refreshing and tooth-friendly tropical drink.

As you can see, good oral health is not only about brushing your teeth, because it could also include wonderful fruity drinks.