Is Pop The Worst Drink For Your Teeth?

The worst drinks for your teeth are anything laden with sugar or causes erosion of the enamel. The worst culprits for cavities and erosion are pop, coffee, alcohol,  juice and sports drinks. 

When you drink a sugary beverage like pop, sports drinks or juice, the sugars they contain feed the bacteria in your mouth which creates an acid. This acid attacks your teeth. Interestingly enough, even sugar-free pop contains its own acids that also attack the enamel of your teeth. With each sip of soda, you’re starting a damaging reaction that lasts about twenty minutes. If you continuously drink pop all day, your teeth are constantly being exposed to sugar and harmful acids. 

Erosion of the dentin of your teeth begins when the acids encounter the tooth enamel. Cavities develop over time in people who drink soft drinks on the regular. Add in poor oral hygiene, and a lot of damage can occur to your teeth.

Now we know that soda, sports drinks, and fruit juice are bad for our teeth. But don’t forget coffee, black tea, and alcohol, particularly the dark ones, which can leave stains. People often add sugar to coffee and tea, and alcohol can dry your mouth, leaving it vulnerable to bacteria.

Fruit is a healthy snack that can actually be good for your teeth, but when we drink fruit juice, we’re bathing our teeth in the sugar. It seems that fruit juice would be a better alternative to pop but it really isn’t much better. 

What about carbonated water as an alternative? There are many different brands and flavours of sugar-free carbonated water these days. But any drink with bubbles gets its effervescence from carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide turns into carbonic acid once ingested and this fizz can wear away at enamel and make teeth susceptible to cavities. And even though milk has calcium which is essential for the development of teeth, it still has sugar. Sports drinks should only be consumed if you need to replenish your electrolytes because like soda, they are often full of sugar and highly acidic. Lemon-lime Gatorade being the flavour that seems to dissolve the most tooth enamel compared to any other drink, including Coke.

What we have established is, the only drink that is actually good for your teeth is plain old, still water. 

The obvious solution to avoiding cavities and erosion is to stop drinking any beverage that has sugar or carbonation but that seems kind of boring. There many ways to enjoy the beverages you love but lessen the risk of damaging your teeth, 

• Only have one soft drink each day. 
• Drink quickly. The faster you drink, the less time the sugars and acids have to damage your teeth. 
• Drink through a straw to keep acids and sugars away from your teeth.
• Rinse your mouth with water after drinking pop or sugary beverages. Flushing your mouth with water will help wash away any remaining sugars and acids.
• Wait 30 minutes to brush. Brushing immediately after you have a soda causes friction to the vulnerable and recently acid-attacked teeth which can do more harm than good. 
• Don’t drink pop before bedtime. Not only will the sugar likely keep you awake, but the sugar and acid will have all night to damage your teeth. 
• Get regular dental cleanings. Regular checkups and exams will find oral problems before they worsen.
• Choose varieties of pop that have a lower acid content. Cola flavours like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are two of the most acidic soft drinks available, with Dr. Pepper and Gatorade closely behind. Sprite, Diet Coke, and Diet Dr. Pepper are a bit less acidic. 

If you are a soft drink lover, make sure you prioritize your oral health and ensure you have your hygiene appointments scheduled.

Call us today at (587) 317-7959 to schedule your initial  consultation.