| Exposing
teeth to soft drinks, even for a short period of time, causes dental
erosion—and prolonged exposure can lead to significant enamel loss. Root
beer products, however, are non-carbonated and do not contain the acids
that harm teeth, according to a study in the March/April 2007 issue of
General Dentistry, the AGD’s clinical, peer-reviewed journal. That
might be something to consider during the next visit to the grocery
store.
Consumers often consider soft drinks to be
harmless, believing that the only concern is sugar content. Most choose
to consume “diet” drinks to alleviate this concern. However, diet drinks
contain phosphoric acid and/or citric acid and still cause dental
erosion—though considerably less than their sugared counterparts.
“Drinking any type of soft drink poses risk to the
health of your teeth,” says AGD spokesperson Kenton Ross, DMD, FAGD. Dr.
Ross recommends that patients consume fewer soft drinks by limiting
their intake to meals. He also advises patients to drink with a straw,
which will reduce soda’s contact with teeth.
“My patients are shocked to hear that many of the
soft drinks they consume contain nine to twelve teaspoons of sugar and
have an acidity that approaches the level of battery acid,” Dr. Ross
explains. For example, one type of cola ranked 2.39 on the acid scale,
compared to battery acid which is 1.0.
Researchers concluded that non-colas cause a
greater amount of erosion than colas. Citric acid is the predominant
acid in non-cola drinks and is a major factor in why non-cola drinks are
especially erosive. There is a significant difference between sugared
and diet colas.
“The bottom line,” Dr. Ross stresses, “is that the
acidity in all soft drinks is enough to damage your teeth and should be
avoided.”
What is dental erosion?
- Dental erosion involves loss of tooth
structure.
- Erosion refers to the action of the acid on the
entire surface of the tooth.
- Dental erosion and dental cavities are not
exactly the same. Cavities and tooth decay tend to be isolated to
cavity-prone areas such as in between teeth and in pits and grooves.
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