Smile and Thank the Cheese

If you want to show off a healthy set of teeth, you should do more than just say "cheese." Dental researchers say it's also a good idea to eat the stuff, too -- and the cooked variety will do just fine.

Scientists at the Newcastle Dental School have found that eating meals cooked with cheese can help in the battle against tooth decay. This is contrary to previously accept dietary wisdom -- that cooking cheese deprives it of its health benefits.

The Newcastle researchers say their work proves that cooked cheese does retain some of its ability to discourage the demineralization of teeth after meals. This demineralization is the first stage in tooth decay, and it long has been known eating cheese after a meal or a snack can stop it.

Cooked or cold, cheese appears to harden the surface of the teeth, acting as a sort of protective coating. "A healthy diet should be healthy for teeth, too," says Dr. Geoff Craig, chairman of the British Dental Association's health and science group.