Drinks Your Teeth Want You to Avoid

Most people are aware of the effects our dietary choices can have on our oral health. As well, many individuals have been schooled since childhood on how plaque affects teeth and how sugary drinks contribute to this. Despite all this knowledge, it is implausible to expect individuals to keep their teeth clean 100 percent of the time by eliminating “dangerous” drinks from their diets.

However, simply being aware of and minimizing the dangers present in certain drinks to oral health goes a long way toward protecting the teeth. While plenty of foods present the same risks, the focus here will be on the worst types of drinks for oral health, some of which can be found below.

Soda

Many can agree there aren’t any aspects of soda that contribute positively to oral health—even diet sodas are merely an attempt to reduce negative effects but not eliminate them. The link between cavities and soda consumption has also been backed up by many studies.

Being highly acidic, soda can harm teeth more than sugar by striping the teeth’s enamel of minerals, meaning diet soda is still bad for teeth due to the presence of phosphoric and citric acid. Regular soda, with those added dangers, provide bacteria with the sugar-rich environment that is perfect for building up plaque.

Sports and Energy Drinks

Despite a healthy-sounding name, sports drinks are loaded with acids and sugars, making the likelihood of developing cavities very great. During a study about the effects of acidic beverages on teeth, it was found that sports drinks were the most erosive, even when ranked against energy drinks and sodas.

As well, just as sports drinks were ranked the most erosive, the same study found that energy drinks were the most acidic as well as the second most erosive, making their cavity-causing potential just as significant.

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages, no matter the type, pose a considerable threat to oral health as it can cause both dry mouth and dehydration. The former is especially important because dry mouth reduces the flow of saliva, which can, over time, lead to serious problems, such as cavities and gum disease.

Sugary alcoholic drinks, such as cocktails, have an added danger by coating teeth in sugar. Wine also deserves special recognition for the staining effects it can have on teeth as well as its high acid. Red wine tends to stain teeth more while white wine is typically more acidic, making the latter likely more dangerous to the teeth’s enamel.

Coffee

As is common knowledge, coffee stains are some of the worst for teeth, and they’re also incredibly resistant. As with wine, coffee can dry out the mouth and make teeth sticky, which doesn’t even account for any sugar added to sweeten coffee, the effects of which are already well-known, as well as the drink’s high acidity.

As stated previously, no one is expected to stop drinking their favorite drink, but they can minimize the damage by drinking water afterwards and avoiding additives like sugar.

Fruit Juices

While not as bad as previous entries, it should be noted fruit juices are linked to an increased risk of cavities due to their high acidity. Admittedly, 100 percent fruit juices contain a few health benefits, but it would be wise to rinse out your mouth with water after drinking them.

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