Drinking water, in general, is beneficial for overall health. It helps digest food, maintain body temperature, and over 70% of the human body is composed of water. Water is the main component of blood and other body fluids. It forms a major part of our diet. Hence, it can be truly called the "ELIXIR" of life. Water helps not only in maintaining body pH but also helps the oral cavity in many ways. Water has a direct effect on teeth. Let’s discuss the benefits of drinking more water on teeth and dental health. Strengthen the teeth: Water has many minerals in it. One of the minerals found in underground water is fluoride. Fluoride has many beneficial effects on the teeth. When fluoride is deposited on the teeth, it forms fluorapatite crystals. These are stronger than hydroxyapatite crystals and almost impervious to bacteria and acids. This prevents tooth decay. Hence, community water fluoridation programs have been implemented to reduce the caries index among people. Prevent dry mouth: Dry mouth is one of the main reasons for increased caries incidence. It has increased in recent times, especially due to COVID, as people continuously wear masks throughout the day and forget to drink water constantly. This leads to dry mouth due to reduced saliva production. This reduces the washing away of food lodged in teeth and causes the accumulation of bacteria and plaque around the teeth. All these lead to bad breath and dental caries eventually. So it is always advisable to keep chugging water constantly throughout the day. Keep a reminder to stay hydrated.

Clean mouth: Food stuck on the teeth attracts bacteria. Bacterial degradation of these sugars form acids that destroy the enamel and produce caries. Saliva and water effectively wash out these bacterial enzymes or products and keep the teeth clean and safe from caries. Hence, it is always advisable to rinse your mouth after consuming food. Healthy gums: Often food, saliva, and bacteria combine and form a pellicle on the tooth surface, which later matures as plaque along the gum and tooth junction. Improper cleaning of the plaque results in swollen and bleeding gums. Hence, is it mandatory to get rid of plaque deposition around the teeth? Water helps in getting rid of the plaque and other bacteria deposited around the teeth. So chugging water keeps your gums healthy, too. Avoid bad breath: The most common cause of bad breath is drying of the mouth. It is because of reduced saliva production that we observe morning breath. Drying of the mouth promotes bacterial accumulation and causes bad breath. There is a simple solution to this. If you observe bad breath in the middle of the day, just drink a glass of water. Most of the time, it helps. So drinking water might save you from social embarrassment.

Prevent stains: The majority of the tooth-colored fillings are made of resins which can take up stains very easily. Colored foods, turmeric, coffee, and tea stains can be avoided with a simple trick. Just rinse your mouth after consuming these foods. It washes away any color stuck to your teeth immediately and prevents staining of your tooth-colored fillings that might cost hundreds of dollars. Prevents erosion: Fizzy drinks or citric acids, when consumed on a regular basis, affect the teeth by eroding the surface enamel. As a result, you might develop sensitive teeth. This can be totally avoided by consuming water or rinsing with water. Doing this helps bring pH back to normal and prevent tooth erosion and caries. 0 calories: Water is the best replacement for many sugary drinks, which are loaded with calories. These sugary drinks also lower the pH of the oral cavity and promote bacterial growth. So, whenever you feel like grabbing a drink, just choose water over other drinks. It is healthy, and you can enjoy it any time, guilt-free. Water is truly an elixir of life as it keeps many diseases at bay and helps maintain oral and overall health. It can be enjoyed at all times of the day. Due to these benefits, dentists all over the world recommend their patients keep drinking water to maintain good dental health. So, grab your bottle and keep chugging the water to save your pearly whites.