Acid Levels in Drinks; Being Sugar Free Doesn’t Make Them Perfect
In my last blog, I spoke about the damaging effect that sugar has on the teeth from so-called healthy drinks. Since I wrote that blog, I have been taking a bit more notice of the drinks available at the cafes and coffee shops I occasionally visit in Horsham and Billingshurst; while looking over the top of my latte.
This month I want to talk about the acid that is in certain types of drink. Healthy branded drinks, especially fruit juices and diet drinks can contain large amounts of acid even though they may not contain any sugar. These will be labelled as sugar-free or diet drinks. It is great that they do not contain sugar,so they cannot cause decay on your teeth, but they can cause erosion of the enamel of your tooth through the action of the acid. These sort of drinks can taste sour or tart, such as sharp fruit juices, but it is also worth remembering that this sharpness can be hidden by artificial sugar so the drink still tastes sweet.
Even dentists appreciate that it is difficult to just drink water or tea and coffee, sometimes a fresh drink is just what you want. I think the answer to this conundrum is to keep things in balance. Don’t have these drinks too often,one a day is probably okay. Also remember not to sip it over a long period of time as this can have the most damaging effect, try to drink it down over a couple of minutes or even when you are eating your food.
Another useful tip: brush your teeth before you try these drinks, but definitely do not do it straight afterwards as this will strip the enamel from the teeth after the acid is started to weaken the enamel.
Contact Us
Please get in touch to book your check up if you are concerned about any of the effects these kind of drinks may be having on your teeth. We also offer a wide range of treatments from cosmetic work to emergency dental care in and around Horsham so e mail, phone or fill in our contact form for more information.
Have a great christmas and a happy new year
Mark Setters