Effects of Soft Drinks on Your Teeth and Oral Health

You might love drinking soft drinks or beverages, however, do you know that they cause a number of oral health issues.

Soft drinks or beverages are one of the most popular drinks throughout the world.

However, they are not only high in sugar but also pose a great threat to your health.

Thus, before popping the top of another can, you might want to stop for once and think about what harm it is causing to your teeth and body.

The sugar in the carbonated beverage or soft drink interacts with the bacteria present in your mouth.

This interaction causes more acidity thus, leading to cavities and other issues.

The juice you buy like orange juice, lemon lime, fruit and vegetable juice, coca cola, Dr. Pepper, carbonated water, lemon juice are artificially sweetened.

Let’s learn more about the sugar and acid content in some of your favorite soft drinks and what steps you can take to prevent the damage.

Amount of Acid and Sugar in Soft Drinks

It is important to note that carbonated drinks make a huge market share and contain artificial sweeteners.

The bacteria in your mouth interact with these drinks and thus causes more acidity.

Thus, within 20 minutes of drinking a soft drink, it starts causing damage to your teeth.

So if you sip soft drinks all day, your teeth are under constant attack by this acid and bacteria.

To give you an idea of the amount of sugar and acid content in soft drinks, consider the following:

Soft Drinks                Acidity and Sugar Content

Pepsi                             acidity of 4.5, 9.8 tsp of sugar

Diet coke                     acidity of 3.6, 0 tsp of sugar

Sprite:                           acidity of 3.6, 9.0 tsp of sugar

Battery Acid              acidity of 6, 0 tsp of sugar

Mountain Dew         acidity of 3.7, 11 tsp of sugar

As you can observe, there is a varying amount of sugar and acidity in each of the above drinks.

Now imagine what damage one can of soda is causing to your teeth.

Effects of Different Ingredients

With an increase in the usage of soft drinks, the number of diseases is also increasing.

Soft drinks contain chemicals that are linked to systemic diseases like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety.

The concern is not only limited to systemic effects, however, are also related to your oral health.

These conditions often lead to dental caries, hyperplasia, tooth abscess, bone loss as well as other periodontal diseases.

Moreover, many studies conclude that soda not only affects health conditions but also has an impact on your behavior.

Certain ingredients that affect your teeth are as follows:

Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the compounds that not only affects your brain but your body as well.

It moreover, affects your oral cavity.

It leads to early menstruation, which leads to the risk of recurring aphthous ulcers or canker sores.

Moreover, it causes hormonal changes in young girls, more than in boys.

It thus causes herpes simplex infection or cold sores.

Effect of Phosphoric Acid

Phosphoric acid H3PO4 is a corrosive acid and is also present in most beverages.

Calcium dihydrogen phosphate is also an important fertilizer ingredient.

Moreover, it plays a role as a natural preservative in most soft drinks.

Phosphoric acid and citric acid, both are present in soda that help to lower the pH.

These acidic contents affect your teeth and oral cavity and thus leads to loose or weak teeth.

Eventually, it causes the tooth enamel to wear off with long exposure.

With mineral waters and tea of enamel, the dentin exposes and leads to tooth decay and sensitivity.

Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup, HFCS

Soft drinks contain high fructose corn syrup HFCS, as it is less expensive than sucrose.

As you know that your body has the ability to take glucose and store the excess of it in muscles and cells for energy consumption.

Thus, when you consume them in high quantity. it increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, it can lead to diabetes.

If you do not get treatment for diabetes, it can increase candidiasis mucormycosis, which affects your sinus, and parotid enlargement.

This can lead to burning sensations in your mouth and tongue, dehydration which eventually leads to cavities, and partial dysgeusia.

Overgrowth of the gingiva can also lead to sudden tooth abscess, bone loss, tooth mobility, and even early age tooth loss.

Effects of Soft Drinks on your Teeth

According to a study, half of Americans drink soda or beverages.

Soda not only makes you suspectable to a number of medical conditions but also affects your smile, leading to cavities and visible tooth decay.

Moreover, according to the survey of CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Preventions, men and boys drink about 273 calories of sugar through sodas.

Thus, when you drink soda, it converts the bacteria into acid and this attacks your teeth repeatedly.

It is important to note that both regular and sugar-free drinks contain acid and these attack your teeth as well.

Dental Conditions as a Result of Drinking Soda

Tooth erosion and cavities are the results of drinking soft drinks or sodas in excess.

Let’s discuss them as follows:

Tooth Erosion

Tooth erosion begins when the acid in your mouth attacks the enamel of your tooth which is the outermost layer.

Tooth enamel protects your teeth from such attacks, however, when these increase, enamel starts to break down.

As a result, the outmost layer wears off and the second layer i.e. dentin is exposed.

It is important to note that both sports drinks and fruit juices also cause such damage, however, they stop there.

It can also lead to toothache and sensitivity.

Erosion is a serious dental issue as the tooth enamel does not have the ability to regenerate.

Cavities

While soft drinks affect the enamel of your teeth, it also leads to small openings or holes in the dentin.

It can also cause holes in the composite fillings as well.

Thus, if you do not take care of your oral and dental hygiene, it can cause a lot of damage to your teeth and even the jaw bone.

Learn more about dental fillings in Dubai and Scaling and Polishing in Jumeriah here.

Effects of Suger-Free Drinks on your Oral Health

You might be thinking that sugar-free drinks do not cause any harm to your teeth, however, they do.

According to studies in oral health, CTC, sugar-free beverages or drinks, confectionery, and even sports drinks contain different acids and have a low pH value.

Most importantly, many individuals believe that when they switch from regular drinks to sugar-free drinks, they are able to avoid their damaging effects on oral health.

Although they do not contain sugar, they contain different acids that can cause enamel erosion.

Moreover, these drinks contain phosphoric acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid that damage your enamel.

Thus, the more you drink soda, the more these acids weaken the enamel and cause decay over time.

Some Sodas less damaging than Others

Yes! Some sodas can be less damaging than others, however, there is not a significant difference.

Dark soda and light soda, both stain your teeth as they contain color and wears off the enamel.

Thus, with the passage of time, you might observe discoloration or yellow teeth, if you are a frequent drinker.

If you think, that white soda is better than dark ones, then you are largely mistaken.

According to a study in Maryland Baltimore Dental School, white sodas are especially harmful to your teeth.

This is because they contain flavor additives that can cause erosion aggressively.

Moreover, non-cola drinks cause 3 to 5 times more damage than darker ones.

Canned ice tea causes 30 times more enamel damage than brewed tea or coffee.

Non-cola drinks can cause up to 180 times more damage to the enamel than water and root beer is by far the safest drink, according to tests.

Preventing Damage to your Teeth and Oral Health

An obvious solution to prevent damage is to quit drinking soft drinks.

However, many of you are unable to get rid of this habit. Thus, you can take steps to reduce the damage it causes, by following the steps:

Using Straw: Using a straw helps to keep the damaging contents of soft drinks away from your teeth.

Rinse your Mouth: After drinking soda, make sure to rinse your mouth.

This will help to wash away the remaining sugar and acid contents in your mouth to interact with bacteria.

Moderation is the Key: Make sure to avoid drinking more than 1 can of soda a day.

This is because the more you drink the more you increase the chances of developing tooth decay and damage.

Drink Quickly: When you sip in soda slowly, it wreaks more havoc than drinking it quickly.

Thus, the faster you drink, the lower your chances of acid attacks and sugar in your oral cavity.

However, bear in mind that you should not use this point as an excuse to drink more cans.

Brush your Teeth: Brushing your teeth after drinking a can of soda can help.

This is because friction against vulnerable acid-attacked teeth can do more harm than good.

Make sure to wait for at least 30 to 40 minutes.

Dental Cleanings: Regular dental checkups can help your doctor to identify any problems even before to emerge and worsen.

Final Thoughts

Soft drinks are one of the most favorite beverages not only among adults but also among teenagers and children. However, as you can see, it has a number of disadvantages to both your health and teeth.

Moderation is the key to avoid any serious dental conditions. Thus, make sure to use a straw while drinking them, rinse your mouth, brush your teeth and schedule an appointment with your dentist to make sure there are no serious dental conditions. Moreover, you can also choose caffeine free beverages instead of acidic beverages.