You’ve seen it on packaging, you have probably seen it on a dental pamphlet, or maybe your mom told you: drink soda and acidic drinks with a straw, it will help prevent tooth decay. So is it true? Will drinking with a straw allow us to drink our favorite soda and help us prevent the unwanted cavities that can come with it? Even dental professionals have debated over this. Here’s a way to know if drinking soda out of a straw is actually sheltering our teeth from its sugary cavity-inducing properties: drink out of a straw, do you feel soda slipping through the straw? Did soda touch your tongue? Then no, the straw is not protecting your teeth. Tongue contact means teeth contact.
If you are very careful and drink out of a straw that goes from cup directly down your throat, then yes, the straw technically works at that point. But drinking that way with all juice and soda, all of the time? What’s the point then? The best way to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and all the dental diseases we don’t want? Avoid sugary drinks altogether, cut them out of your daily diet, or at least reduce the amount you consume and drink water after you consume them. Not to mention, dark sodas and tea stain our teeth!
Next time, consider going for water instead of your regular sweet tea, you’ll thank yourself later. If you see some staining already, come in for a teeth whitening consultation with us at Lakeway Cosmetic Dentistry. We’d love to see you!