What Probiotic Yogurts are Best for Dental Health?
All yogurts by definition contain active live cultures, and nearly all have quantities of probiotics to be of some benefit to your health. However, specific strains have been identified in scientific studies as having significant oral health benefits. The following have the most supporting research behind them:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus, L. casei, L. paracasei, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, L. reuteri, Bifidus regularis aka Activa (Bifidobacterium lactis DN 173-010), Streptococcus salivarius K12, S. Thermophilus, S. oralis KJ3, S. uberis KJ2, S. rattus JH145, and Weissela Cibara.
How Much Yogurt Should You Eat for Healthier Teeth?
Studies have shown that consuming 200g of Activia yogurt daily provided sufficient quantities of probiotics to significantly reduce the number of unhealthy bacteria in your mouth and decrease their acid production. We can use this information to establish a standard dosage for probiotic yogurts at roughly 4oz or about 2 containers per day.
What Probiotic Yogurts Should You Choose?
Most yogurts do not control for quantities of specific types of live cultures but are still good for your oral health even if we can’t be sure about the exact numbers of specific probiotic strains. There are a few yogurts on the market that are produced with specified levels of probiotic bacteria with properties that are beneficial to oral health. All of these have at least 10 billion colony-forming units of the designated probiotic bacteria on the label, so we know these particular probiotics are available in adequate numbers.
Probiotic Yogurts
- Dannon Activia Yogurt – Uses a blend of 3 cultures: L. acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifidus regularis, the proprietary probiotic added in Activia yogurts.
- Stonyfield Organic Activia Yogurt – Uses a blend of 3 cultures: , Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Bifidus regularis, the proprietary probiotic added in Activia yogurts.
Probiotic Yogurt Drinks
- Siggi Probiotic Drinkable Non-Fat Yogurts – Uses a blend of 5 cultures: S. thermophilus, L. delbrueckiee subsp. bulgaricus, B. longum, B. infantisv, and L. acidophilus NCFM, the specifically added probiotic ingredient.
Incorporating yogurts into your diet is always a good idea for your oral health. The particular probiotic yogurts listed above may provide an additional boost from specific bacteria to help improve the environment in your mouth and make it more supportive of oral health.
Consult Hatcher and Frey Orthodontics for your best oral health including teeth whitening or a smile transformation.
