Can sucking on mints REALLY prevent tooth decay?
- The common rule for healthy teeth brush twice a day and avoid sugary snacks
- But can sucking mints also make a difference in maintaining your pearly whites?
Lucy Elkins for Daily Mail
32
View
comments
We all know the secret to healthy teeth lies in brushing twice a day and minimising sugary snacks.
But it seems we may have another option: sucking mints.
Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints were developed by two British dentists who claim they can freshen breath, protect teeth from acid attack and repair tooth decay.
The mints contain four key ingredients: calcium phosphate, to repair the damage of decay; xylitol, a natural sweetener, which helps neutralise acids that cause decay and reduces the formation of plaque; green tea, which is said to help block the enzymes that break down collagen, the scaffolding of the teeth; and peppermint oil, to freshen the breath.
Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints were developed by two British dentists who claim they can freshen breath, protect teeth from acid attack and repair tooth decay
When scientists at the University of Illinois tested the mints on mice — by exposing their teeth to a sugar solution to promote decay and then coating them with xylitol, fluoride or the mints — they found the fluoride worked the best.
But the mints fared better than using xylitol alone, according to Dr Michael Heffernan, who runs a dental practice in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and is one of the brains behind the mints.
The idea is that they should be used to protect teeth between brushing.
Dr Heffernan suggests having five of the sugar-free mints throughout the day is enough to protect the teeth and repair any damage that occurs during the day.
-
E-cigarettes are getting non-smoking teens hooked on…
Why a glucose drip could be the key to speeding up birth for…
What IS a good night’s sleep? From nodding off in 30 minutes…
What’s your chance of developing lung cancer? Map reveals…
Dr Heffernan and his fellow dentist Dr Toby Edwards-Lunn took four years to develop the mints, and say that they could especially benefit those who are at risk of the root decay that occurs when gums recede, exposing the root, which lacks a tough, protective covering.
But will the mints work as well as the makers hope?
In 2015, the respected Cochrane Oral Health Group looked at various studies involving xylitol and concluded: ‘The evidence on the effects . . . is not clear.’
Professor Robert Hill, director of research at the Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, is more positive.
Dr Heffernan suggests having five of the sugar-free mints throughout the day is enough to protect the teeth and repair any damage that occurs during the day
‘Tooth mineral is crudely calcium and phosphate, and acid attack does dissolve this,’ he says.
‘By having calcium phosphate in the mint, you could put back that lost mineral — but these mints would only help with the very early stages of decay.
‘And xylitol does inhibit bacteria from metabolising sugar and forming acid — though trials have found it may not be as beneficial as brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.’
Professor Andrew Eder, of the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, says he welcomes any product that might reduce plaque and decay.
However, he adds: ‘There is little scientific evidence to support the efficacy of this particular product as yet.’
Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints, £1.99 for a packet of 24, drheffs.com
Share or comment on this article
-
e-mail
-
-
EXCLUSIVE: Now it’s Caribbean sunshine on Richard Branson’s…
-
‘¡No, no puede!’: New White House begins with English-only…
-
‘Let Barron be a kid’: Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton…
-
Plane passengers rejoice as woman who berated Trump…
-
Bomb threats don’t Trump hate: PIERS MORGAN on the day…
-
Trump takes executive action to reinstate pro-life foreign…
-
Heartwarming moment Bear the dog has his chain cut after…
-
Mystery deepens over world’s biggest explosion 110 years ago…
-
Was she clueless? Controversial actress turned political…
-
‘I want to break the taboo’: Belgian model reveals she’s…
-
Majority of 230 protesters arrested on Inauguration Day will…
-
Activist who was walking across America barefoot to raise…
Comments (32)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now