We hate to break it to you, but dental care goes beyond brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash. Everything we eat and drink has a potential impact on our teeth and gums.
If your teeth feel slimy or have slight discoloration, you may want to steer clear of the drinks we’ll be mentioning in this article. If not, they may develop into deeper problems such as decay or erosion.
Get your toothbrush ready as we tackle the five worst drinks for your teeth.
1. Soda
A favorite of children and adults alike, sodas are a staple in nearly every household. However, you may want to rethink that.
We’re sure that this comes as no surprise to many of you, as the high sugar content, acidity, and carbonation combined are a recipe for a triple whammy!
The acidity of soda destroys the enamel of your teeth. This exposes your dentin, which stimulates the nerves when there’s something hot or cold inside your mouth.
When your dentin is exposed, tooth sensitivity may occur. Though weakened enamel can be restored to a certain point, damaged enamel can no longer be brought back.
The heavy sugar content doesn’t help either. This just feeds the bacteria in your mouth, making your teeth even more susceptible to tooth decay.
If that isn’t alarming enough, the dark color of soda actually stains your teeth over time, too.
2. Alcohol
Another obvious one is alcohol. Aside from being unhealthy in other ways, alcohol is a diuretic, which means it promotes water loss.
In turn, this can cause dehydration and less saliva in the mouth. Insufficient saliva can result in damage to the enamel and eventually, tooth sensitivity and decay.
Other forms of alcohol such as red wine can stain your teeth, too. Though it may seem like white wine may be a better option, sadly, this isn’t true.
White wine is more acidic than red wine. Thus, it’s even worse for your enamel despite not staining your teeth.
In the meantime, you may want to store your alcohol for a special event or even use it to cook.
3. Sports and Energy Drinks
Though a good source of electrolytes, energy drinks are jam-packed with sugar and acid. As we’ve mentioned earlier, this is just a disaster waiting to happen.
What’s worse, some sports and energy drinks have more acidity and sugar than some sodas!
Yikes, indeed.
So you may want to rethink grabbing an energy drink the next time you hit the gym. Why not grab a protein shake instead?
4. Sparkling or Carbonated Water
If you think you can substitute sparkling water for soda, you may want to rethink that. Though these bubbles may seem harmless, they definitely aren’t your friends.
Some may argue that they’re sugar-free so they should be better for you. Though this may be true, the acidity of this drink is through the roof and can erode your teeth faster than orange juice.
Sad to say, even flavored sparkling juice is overly acidic. Actually, sparkling water with additives such as fruit flavoring is even worse than regular sparkling water.
5. Artificial Fruit Juice
Like the rest of the entries, artificial juice is both acidic and sugary, which are both big no-nos. Full of sugar and corn syrup, these imitation drinks are not going to be doing you any favors.
You’re basically drowning your teeth in sugar and acid without even getting the whole benefits of the fruit itself. Isn’t that silly?
So if you’re drinking juice daily, you’re going to end up wearing out your enamel or even developing gum issues.
You’re better off picking fresh fruit from your garden if you’re craving something sweet. Aside from being good for the skin, you’ll get nutrients and vitamins, too.
Though you don’t completely have to cut out these five worst drinks for your teeth from your diet, a cup every now and then should be enough.
While you’re here, why don’t you visit one of the best dentists around town? We’ve got a list of our top picks right here: