3 Decay Promoting Drinks Americans Should Avoid

Tooth decay has become a chronic problem in the United States quite often due to the sugary, decay-causing drinks Americans consume. If you want to spend less time at the dentist, here are 3 drinks that you may want to avoid in order to preserve your teeth.

Soda

If you are trying to keep your teeth decay free, sodas are your #1 enemy! Soda is a cornucopia of harmful ingredients waiting to attack your tooth enamel. The main decay causing factors in soda are its acid content, phosphorus content, caffeine and sugar. Some sodas contain as much acid as a battery, and drinking sodas over a long period of time slowly breaks down the enamel of your teeth! The phosphoric acid and caffeine in soda are also culprits for enamel breakdown. Although phosphorus is a necessary element in your bones, too much phosphorus can lead to bone loss, and caffeine limits calcium absorption by your teeth.

The sugar in sodas attaches to bacteria and makes it stick to the surface of your enamel and fuels their metabolism which releases acid byproducts which can cause serious damage to your teeth. Limiting or eliminating sodas from your diet is good for your overall health, but especially good for your bones and teeth. Another helpful tip is to drink your soda through a straw to try and l keep these harmful elements off your teeth as much as possible. If you are experiencing extensive tooth decay due to soda consumption, be sure to get the professional dental care you need to address the decay and avoid more expensive and extensive treatment like root canals and crowns.

Sports Drinks

Different studies show multiple results regarding sports drinks and tooth decay. There are varying factors suchas when and how often you consume these drinks. The acidity and sugar of sports drinks are similar to soda in their affect on your mouth. However, the amount of saliva produced while you are drinking sports drinks will greatly alter the affect the drink has on your teeth. If you are sipping a sports drink at your leisure, during a sports activity, or during a bike ride, your teeth will experience greater affects of decay than consuming a sports drink with your meal. (The stimulus of chewing your food will increase your saliva flow, reducing the decay effects of these acidic and sugary drinks.)

Wine

White wine has a high acid content and wears away at tooth enamel, very similar to the way affect fruit juice affects your teeth. Although red wines are more apt to leave your teeth stained, they tend to be less acidic and damge your teeth less. Prolonged exposure of your teeth to wine (because wine is typically sipped), decreases the pH balance of your mouth and gives bacteria a favorable environment to grow. If you choose to drink wine, make sure that you eat at the same time and eat foods rich in calcium, such as cheese, to help counter the effects of this acid.

Removing these 3 drinks from your diet is a great way help keep out of the dentist's chair as much as possible. However, if you already have cavities due to these drinks, you best not wait and get these problems fixed to avoid even greater expense.

 

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