When it comes to quenching thirst or simply choosing a beverage, some people would pick soda over water. The sad part is excessive consumption of soft drinks can harm your teeth, which may result in decay, cavities, and enamel erosion. Both regular diet and diet soda contain acids that can attack your enamel and hurt your pearly whites.
What Soda Does to Your Teeth
Drinking soda allows the bacteria in your mouth to interact with sugars and create acids, which will then attack your teeth. The acid attack can last for about 20 minutes and this will start all over again every time you drink. Meridian dental care experts note that this is why sipping soda for long hours or all day can put your teeth under continuous acid attack.
When acid attacks your teeth, the enamel or the outermost layer of teeth is mostly affected. This can also weaken the teeth, increase sensitivity, and make you prone to decay or cavities. Studies suggest that cavities are likely to those who regularly drink soda or sugary beverages every day. The repercussions are intensified if combined with poor oral hygiene.
What Can You Do?
The best solution, of course, is to quit drinking soda. The sad news is this advice is not so easy to follow for most drinkers. Fortunately, there are few things you can do reduce the damage.
- Drink less. Avoid drinking more than one can or glass of soda every day. Remind yourself of the repercussions and switch to water.
- Use a straw. This minimizes the contact of the beverage to your teeth, as well as the harmful sugars and acids.
- Drink faster. Consume your beverage faster and don’t sip all day. Drinking quickly gives the sugars and acids less time to attack and hurt your teeth
- Rinse mouth with water. After drinking soda, drink or flush your mouth with water. This will help rinse away sugars and acids and therefore stop an acid attack.
Soda can cause long-term damage to your teeth and compromise how your smile looks. If you care about your teeth and overall health, it is best to drink in moderation or find ways to stop drinking soda.
