Table of contents
- Green tea as a mouth rinse
- Plaque and bacteria: a cause of chronic diseases
- Mouthwashes against dental plaque and bacteria
- Conventional mouth rinses, is not optimal
- Green tea can be used as a mouth rinse
- Green tea against chlorhexidine: The study
- Green tea acts as good as chlorhexidine
- Alkaline Saliva
- Less Mouth Odor
- Protection of the gums and jaw bone
- Less Gum Pockets
- Anti-Bacterial Effect
Green tea as a mouth rinse
Mouth rinses are popular, as they can support in a simple way, the oral and dental hygiene and the fight against dental plaque and the harmful bacteria will help. While the conventional mouth rinses with chlorhexidine very effective, but also can have side effects, is known since several years that green tea can be excellent and free of side effects used as a mouth rinse.
Plaque and bacteria: a cause of chronic diseases
Dental plaque and the bacteria which colonize it considered to be the major cause of gingivitis and periodontitis. Both diseases are associated with chronic inflammation. It comes to the decline of the gums, jaw bone re-formation and to the formation of periodontal pockets.
Unfortunately, only the mouth area is not affected, because periodontal disease is closely linked with other chronic inflammatory diseases. So, you know, for example, that people with periodontal disease are affected more often to Arthritis, atherosclerosis, and Diabetes. Good oral hygiene is therefore an important prevention measure!
Mouthwashes against dental plaque and bacteria
You manage to keep both the dental plaque and the harmful bacteria under control, reducing the risk of periodontal disease is quite enormous and can slow the progression to stop existing periodontitis or at least slow down.
However, the removal of dental plaque is not always easy. To remove Plaque, therefore dental plaque, it is necessary to a thorough dental care, which is rarely operated in the required Mass (several times daily and brushing my teeth several times daily application of dental floss). Also the cleaning utensils often does not arrive at all Points of the tooth. Mouth rinses can be used in addition.
Conventional mouth rinses, is not optimal
Chlorhexidine is considered to be the gold standard anti-plaque agents rinses in the mouth. The chemical has a very broad antibacterial spectrum combined with low toxicity. Chlorhexidine can reduce the bacteria amount in the saliva by up to 90 per cent, and this low bacteria level and hold for a few hours.
However, chlorhexidine may have, in some cases, unpleasant side effects, such as discoloration of teeth, damage of the oral mucosa and impairment of the taste sense, so that a permanent application is not recommended. However, a permanent use of a mouth rinse would be required if you want to prevent tooth decay and gum diseases sustained or treat.
Other mouthwashes are made from essential Oils in alcoholic solution. Many people, however, may have neither the strong Aroma of the essential Oils you still want to after each mouth rinse is an alcohol-breath.
Green tea can be used as a mouth rinse
The really ideal mouthwash – the taste is fine, effective and side-effect free – does not exist in the trade so, at least not under the name of “mouth rinse” – but in the tea Department. Because green tea seems to be a nearly ideal mouth rinse, such as a study from the year 2014 suspect.
The main active ingredients in green tea are antioxidant effective polyphenols, in particular flavonoids, such as catechins, catechin gallates (such as the well-known EGCG) and proanthocyanidins.
Green tea against chlorhexidine: The study
In the mentioned study examined whether a daily mouth rinse can remove with a solution with 0.25% catechin content of dental plaque, and whether this effect is with a conventional 0,12% chlorhexidine solution comparable.
30 students were volunteers available
The catechin-containing solution consisted of 250 mg of catechins (from green tea), 100 mg of sodium chloride (salt), 50 mg of sodium benzoate as a preservative, 50 mg of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), a dye, and 100 ml of distilled water.
Half of the students used now for a week twice a day 15 ml of catechin solution, and the other half twice daily chlorhexidine solution (each 1 Minute long). Other measures for oral and dental hygiene should not be used in this week.
After the first week, two weeks (washout period), in which all the subjects should your teeth with a specific toothbrush and specific toothpaste follow. Then were used for a week back in the mouth rinses, but this time each group used the other mouth rinse.
After the completion of the study examined the dental plaque on all teeth and the tongue surface, as well as other markers that may be important for the effectiveness of a mouth rinse relevant.
Green tea acts as good as chlorhexidine
It showed that there were no significant differences in the efficacy of the two mouthwashes. The pads could be held with two products similar to that well under control – whether on the front or the back teeth or on the tongue. There is no reason for the use of chlorhexidine seems to be containing mouth rinses, when green tea is available, which will also have the following featured study point out results.
The effects of green tea on the Teeth and gums health
From previous studies we know already that the green tea and its polyphenol, could be used for Connections to accompany the usual treatment of Periodontitis (Scaling and Root planing), as its catechins as good anti-bacterial impact of the oral flora to positively influence and caries prevention help.
Alkaline Saliva
Green tea catechins can also keep the pH value of the saliva in a healthy slightly alkaline Milieu (7.2 to 7.4), in which, in particular, Streptococcus mutans (caries bacteria) do not feel comfortable with. In a 2011 study, green tea could not only inhibit the caries bacteria but also the bleeding gums eased.
Less Mouth Odor
In terms of halitosis, the study situation is not clear. In a four-week study (1993) with a dilute catechin solution periodontitis-related halitosis could be reduced. Mouth odor due to garlic consumption of green tea, however, has little effect, as we have explained here.
Protection of the gums and jaw bone
Even on the tissues (gums and jaw bone), the impact of the catechins of green tea beneficial. They inhibit the activity of tissue-degrading enzymes (Collagenases, Matrix-metallo proteases) and thus inhibit the tissue destruction and alveolar bone removal, including a study from 2007.
Less Gum Pockets
In the study by Kudva et al. from 2011 showed that catechins from green tea was able to reduce the depth of the periodontal disease so typical gum pockets, and also the number of many of the bacteria associated with gum disease in a narrow context, such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium species and Capnocytophaga.
Anti-Bacterial Effect
The bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis associated with periodontal disease. The more comfortable it feels, the worse the disease. Already in the year 1996 showed Sakanaka et al., in particular, EGCG from green tea (in a concentration of 250-500 µg/ml) the growth of P. gingivalis and its attachment to the gums inhibit.
Green tea: The ideal mouth rinse
Green tea can therefore be used very well as a daily and side-effect-free mouthwash, not least due to its pleasant taste, its low price and its ease of manufacture.
To avoid discoloration of the teeth, these must be in any case always well-cleaned (with a toothbrush and dental floss).
The higher the catechin concentration in green tea, the better the health effects, it seems. Therefore, green tea not only as an ideal mouth rinse, but also as a drink, the other drinks (coffee, soft drinks, juices, etc.) should be preferred – so at least the results from this study to the year 2011.
Which green tea is suitable as a mouth rinse?
Since in the presented studies the focus is on a high catechin content was, you should make the choice of green teas is also a such. The Benifuuki green tea apparently has the most EGCG and total catechins of all the teas. But there are many other green tea varieties, which contain only slightly less catechins, such as, for example, Sayamamidori, Gokou, Sayamakaori, Okumidori, Yamato, Midori and Izumi.
Green tea bags usually has a rather low catechin content and is therefore suitable as a mouth rinse is not so good. Since the catechin content in the young leaves is always higher, you should select green tea from earlier harvest.
A high catechin content, incidentally, is for a mouth rinse perfect for Drinking the tea should not be much of a catechin-rich, since catechins can also have disadvantages. Catechins can, for example, substances, the recording of vital signs, such as iron, to inhibit.
How to prepare the green tea mouthwash?
While preparing green tea to Drink, always at low temperatures, this is when the mouth rinsing is not necessary, on the contrary, the higher the temperature, the more catechins dissolve in the water. The green tea mouth rinse can with boiling water.
The Steeping time should be longer (5 to 10 Min.), since then, the more catechins. As a result, the taste of the tea or mouthwash but it is also bitter.
The mouth rinse should be prepared in the ideal case, fresh daily, but can be if necessary, can also be produced for several days (3 to 4) in advance, should be (stored, at least cooled in the summer).
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