You might think you doing good by drinking diet soda, tea or juice, instead of sipping sugary soda, but even though these drinks might have less sugar than soda, they have other qualities that can harm your oral health. Learn why you should drink these four drinks only in moderation in order to protect your teeth:
- Regular or Diet Sodas: The high sugar content in sodas leads to tooth decay, but even if you drink diet sodas, the carbonation in sodas wears on your tooth enamel and weakens it. Your tooth enamel protects your teeth against decay, so the weaker it is, the more likely you will end up with cavities and other teeth problems.
- Energy Drinks: Researchers at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry found that energy drinks and sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Red Bull, eroded tooth enamel more than soda and fruit juices. Power drinks are so acidic because usually citric acid is added to give the drinks tartness. Read the label to see if citric acid is in the ingredients before drinking it.
- Citric juices: A study published in the Journal of Dentistry showed that orange juice decreased enamel strength by 84 percent. Lemon, orange and grapefruit juice can strip away tooth enamel with their acidity. If you are going to drink juice, drink it all at once instead of sipping it over the course of a day, so your teeth have less contact with the beverage.
- Tea: Tea and teeth is controversial because certain types of tea can stabilize the amount of tooth loss or demineralization of your tooth surface. But some tea, like black tea, has a low pH and can cause tooth erosion.
You can still drink all these drinks, but be sure to drink them in moderation. It’s recommended to keep acidic beverages to fewer than five servings a week. If you would like to learn more oral health tips, or need to set-up a dental appointment, contact the Lakeway Center for Cosmetic and Family Dentistry today.