These Drinks Dissolve Teeth

When our youngest daughter was in middle school, her science experiment involved putting extracted teeth in different liquids of varying acidity levels (think: water v. coca-cola) and measuring their weight before and after.  Of course, after being in coca-cola, the teeth weighed less, because the acid dissolved the tooth enamel.  So now a study, published in the May/June issue of General Dentistry Journal, examined the acidity levels in 13 popular sports drinks and nine popular energy drinks.  Researchers determined acidity levels can vary between brands, as well as certain flavors of the same brand.  To determine what the acid levels did to teeth, researchers immersed human tooth samples into each beverage for 15 minutes, followed by immersing the samples in artificial saliva for two hours, four times per day over a five day period.  As few as five days after exposure to both types of drinks, teeth showed damaged enamel.

Energy drinks caused twice as much damage as sports drinks.  This damage to tooth enamel is irreversible.  Over time, this can cause tooth sensitivity and a greater likelihood of cavities.  The concern is that the assumption these drinks are "better" than soda is not the case.  This is especially true for teens,  30-50% of whom consume energy drinks and 62% of whom drink at least one sports drink a day.  If you drink these types of drinks, the recommendation is to chew sugar-free gum or rinse your mouth afterward to increase salivary flow to neutralize acidity levels in your mouth.  

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309