Dental experts say the high acidity in the popular drinks can damage tooth enamel.
Chances are you’ve already gotten the message that overly sweet drinks can lead to tooth decay.
But what about highly acidic drinks?
Looks like that warning may have fallen through the cracks.
The issue has come to light recently after a British man posted photos online of his rotting teeth, which he says were damaged by his addiction to energy drinks.
His story hasn’t yet been verified, but the posts have reignited warnings from dental experts.
Energy and sports drinks may not be as healthy as you think.
What the research shows
The researchers studied 22 beverages popular with young adults. They looked at what effect the 13 sports drinks and 9 energy drinks had on tooth enamel.
The acidity was two times higher in energy drinks than it was for sports drinks.
The lower the pH, the greater the potential for losing enamel from your teeth.
Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, much harder than bone. But the hardest substance in the human body dissolves in these highly acidic drinks.
Your saliva is roughly a pH of 6.8 or 7, which is considered neutral.
Researchers found that even a small amount of a highly acidic drink can send your saliva’s pH plummeting.
You take a single sip of this drink and your saliva could potentially go down to 2 on the pH scale.
It takes the human body approximately 30 minutes to buffer the saliva back to a normal pH. For those 30 minutes, your teeth are essentially bathed in an acidic environment, in acid.
But you don’t stop at a single sip. You go on to drink that can, or bottle, or glass.
I think there is a false sense of security about going to these drinks. They sound so much healthier than drinking a soda.
The American Beverage Association, however, says tooth decay and other dental problems are more complex than just a canned or bottled drink.
No single food or beverage is a factor for enamel loss and tooth decay. Individual susceptibility to both dental cavities and tooth erosion varies depending on a person’s dental hygiene, lifestyle, total diet and genetic make-up.
Dentists are seeing the damage
Dentists, however, say they are seeing the effects of beverages first hand.
Energy drinks, with a pH of roughly 3.2, are almost as acidic as battery acid, which has a pH of 1.
The acid fosters the growth of bacteria. The higher the concentration of bacteria, the more likely you are to get tooth and gum disease.
Because people are so wired after drinking an energy drink, they grind their teeth. That sometimes causes tooth breakage and tooth loss.
Energy drinks can also spur more acid reflux production, which can in turn cause more cavities.
Talk To Us
Dentists say regular consumption of energy drinks can cause serious damage to your teeth.
That’s because an energy drink can essentially bathe the enamel on your teeth in a highly acidic liquid.
The hyperactive energy produced by the drinks can also cause people to grind their teeth, causing tooth breakage and loss.
For more information, call Morgan Street Dental Centre today on 02 69219500!