Sugary Drinks & Preventing Cavities | Schmakel Smile Design

Do you love pop, juice, energy drinks or other sugary beverages? You might be causing serious damage to your teeth! Even with all the information out there, many people find sugary drinks a hard habit to kick. Knowing the risks is important, especially when it comes to the oral health of you and your family. Learn the facts about how sugary drinks cause cavities and some of the best ways to minimize your risk of tooth decay!

How Does Sugar Affect Your Teeth?

While sugary drinks are a common cause for tooth decay and enamel erosion, it’s not the sugar that directly causes the problem. Every mouth, no matter how attentive your oral care routine is, contains bacteria. Because bacteria are living organisms, they consume “food” just like we do, primarily sugars. When bacteria consume sugar, they produce a waste product that is extremely acidic.

The acid wears away at the enamel on your teeth through a process called erosion. This process is literally when the acid leach important calcium and phosphate minerals from your teeth. Each time you finish a sugary drink, this damaging process continues for about 20 minutes. Over time, this weakens your teeth and can quickly lead to painful cavities.

Studies also show that your oral health can affect your overall well-being. Read our article about the connection between periodontal disease and heart disease to learn more.

Are Sugar-Free (Diet) Sodas Safe?

People that like soda commonly turn to diet versions in an interest of reducing calories and to avoid sugar. However, even the diet versions of most sugary drinks are still harmful to your health. Unfortunately, even diet sodas are still capable of doing considerable damage to your teeth. In fact, some studies have seen that diet sodas can cause the same or even more damage than regular soda.

The damage done by soda is increased due to the inherent acid in the beverage. Some of the most common acids in sodas are citric acid, carbonic acid, or phosphoric acid. When measuring acidity, colas average around 2 pH levels away from battery acid! So even without the interaction between bacteria and sugar, the acid still wears away through the dentin in your teeth to cause cavities.

Drinks to Watch Out For

Sodas – Both regular and diet sodas are an obvious choice to cut out of your diet if you can. Even the most “gentle” carbonated drinks, root beer, are far more damaging to your teeth than water.

Energy Drinks – Studies have shown that energy drinks can be worse than soda for teeth – mostly due to the addition of citric acid that compounds the effects of the other acids and sugar.

Juice – Many children’s juices are packed full of sugar for taste. But even more natural drinks like orange juice can contain a considerable level of acidity.

Sweetened Drinks – This includes anything from sweet tea to chocolate milk. By introducing sugar or artificial sweeteners to otherwise healthy drinks, you increase the risk of developing cavities.

Tips for Safely Enjoying Sugary Drinks

#1. Drink Them Quickly

It’s fine to indulge in sugary drinks from time to time, but make sure you aren’t slowly sipping it over a long time. Each time you take a sip, your teeth endure around 20 minutes of an “attack” from the acid. One 12oz can of soda finished in 10 minutes would only cause around 30 minutes of active damage. The same can could do twice as much damage if you sip it over the course of an hour or more.

If you give sugary drinks to children, make sure they finish them with a meal. For every-day snacking and sipping, try to stick to water or milk.

#2. Wait Before You Brush

You may feel like you’re doing yourself a favor by brushing right after drinking an acidic or sugary drink. However, abrasive brushing right after one of these beverages might cause more harm than good, due to their increased vulnerability from the acidity.

Instead of brushing immediately after a sugary drink, consider rinsing with water to dilute as much of the lingering effect as possible. Then, after waiting between 30 minutes to an hour it will be safe to brush.

#3. Protect Your Teeth with Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are an effective option for protecting your children’s teeth from cavities. According to medical studies, when properly applied, dental sealants are 100-percent effective in protecting tooth surfaces from cavities.

#4. Drink with a Straw

While it won’t negate the effect of sugary drinks entirely, you can reduce the damage done by these drinks by using a straw. It allows you to enjoy your drinks while minimizing the amount of contact with your teeth.

#5. Brush and Floss Regularly

Daily brushing and flossing can help reduce the impact of sugary drinks on your teeth. By reducing the plaque in your mouth, you can reduce the volume of bacteria that produce these damaging acids. The overall effect is that your sugary drinks will cause a much lower degree of erosion.

Do You Have Cavities from Sugary Drinks? We Can Help!

The dental professionals at Schmakel Smile Designs can help you fix or prevent cavities from sugary drinks. Make an appointment, or call us at (419) 841-9494.