When you think of harmful drinks for your teeth, you may consider coffee that stains your teeth or high-sugared fruit juices that can cause cavities. While you are certainly correct, there is another component of your beverage that you need to be aware of: acidity. The acid in your go-to drink may be eroding your tooth enamel with every sip or swish. While sugar is in fact a primary culprit in tooth decay, sugar and acid together can wreak havoc on your smile.

Sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and citrus fruit juices are known for heaps of sugar and high acidity, which make a deadly recipe for your teeth. If you sip on these drinks throughout the day, you are essentially giving your pearly whites an acid bath. Long after you finish that last drop of soda, its acids are still attacking and trying to destroy your teeth’s outermost layer (enamel). The enamel of your teeth is not something that you want to lose. Not only does it keep your teeth looking whiter, but it also protects your teeth’s more sensitive inner structures. When decay reaches the center of a tooth, a root canal is needed to save it. Although your enamel is the hardest, most mineralized part of your entire body, the acids in your daily drink have the ability to dissolve it.

How will you know if your drink is attacking your smile? You may find that you are getting more frequent cavities. In addition, with a weak or thin enamel layer, you may notice tooth sensitivity or a dull tint to your smile (this is because dentin layer underneath tooth enamel has a more yellowed hue). It is important to know that even diet soda has acidic carbonation that can harm your teeth. Furthermore, your drink doesn’t have to fizz to be acidic. Coffee, for example, is actually considered highly acidic.

To protect your smile and still hydrate your body, stick to water. If you just can’t resist that occasional energy drink or morning cup of joe, try to at least rinse with water afterwards. It’s perfectly fine to brush – just make sure that you wait about an hour to do so, as the acidic properties of your drink can combine with the scrubbing action of brushing to create an abrasive and even more harmful effect on your teeth.

At Soft Touch Dentistry, we want your smile to be as healthy and radiant as it can be. Patients that avoid acidic and sugared drinks can avoid tooth decay, discoloration and tooth sensitivity. If you are concerned about the health of your smile after years of consuming acidic drinks, please schedule an exam with us. We offer excellence in restorative and cosmetic dentistry!

Posted on behalf of Dr. Sarah Thompson, Soft Touch Dentistry
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