There have been several news stories in the media lately warning that drinking too many soft drinks may not be the best choice for your overall health. But there’s something else you should know regarding sodas: they may not be good for your oral health either.
Enamel is the hard external layer of your teeth. When you whiten your teeth, it’s actually the enamel of the tooth that is whitened. Enamel not only allows you to have a whiter smile; it also protects the interior of your teeth. When you drink soda – even if the soft drink only comes into contact with your teeth for a very short period of time – it can damage the enamel layer of your teeth. If you drink soft drinks regularly for a long period of time, it can cause significant damage to enamel, and once it’s gone, you can’t replace it.
When your tooth enamel is compromised, you’ll likely experience several negative symptoms as a result, including:
- Increased sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks
- Yellowing of the teeth that cannot be altered by tooth-whitening products
- Weakening of the tooth structure, often leading to chipping or cracking of the teeth
- “Cupping” on the tooth surface
Choosing to drink diet soda doesn’t necessarily less the damage to your teeth. While it’s true that sugar isn’t good for your teeth, when it comes to soft drinks, it’s actually the phosphoric acid or citric acid in the beverage that damages the enamel on your teeth. So diet sodas aren’t the answer either.
If you want to enjoy the occasional soda, there are some ways that you can still do that and minimize damage to your teeth:
- Use a straw, which will limit the amount of time the soda comes into contact with your teeth
- Choose root beer, which is not carbonated and does not contain phosphoric or citric acid
- Cut down on the number of soft drinks you consume overall
- If you do choose to drink soda, stay away from citrus-flavored, non-cola drinks because the citric acid in these drinks is especially damaging to teeth
- Even though both diet sodas and regular sodas erode tooth enamel, diet sodas are somewhat less damaging that regular sodas, so if you really feel the need to have a soft drink, make it diet
Of course, the best choice of all is to avoid soft drinks altogether. Milk and lactose-based drinks are actually good for your teeth and may be a great choice as a beverage with a meal. Water or iced tea are other choices, although iced tea should be kept to a minimum since it can stain your teeth. Remember that once your enamel is gone, you can’t bring it back, so make the best choices to protect your pearly whites!
