Woman Drinking Soda

As you may be aware, millions of people enjoy sodas. They're served with almost every meal in America, and there are so many different flavors to pick from. It's difficult to stay away from them! If you're like up to half of the population in the United States, you may have had a sugary drink lately - and chances are it was soda. But great risk comes with all that flavor. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain are all linked to drinking high-sugar soft drinks. And those are just a few of the downsides of having too many sodas.

However, drinks can harm your teeth, potentially leading to cavities and even noticeable tooth rot. When you consume soda, the sugars react with microorganisms in your mouth to produce acid. This acid is corrosive to your teeth. Both normal and sugar-free drinks have their own acids, which damage the teeth as well. You're initiating a harmful response with each gulp of Coke, and it'll last around 20 minutes. Your teeth are always under attack if you sip all day.

Soda consumption has been linked to a number of health issues including obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis and it is no secret that soda can cause tooth decay. Soda consumption has increased throughout the past decade and is currently one of the leading causes of tooth decay. There are however things that can be done to reduce or prevent tooth decay. Drinking soda occasionally in moderation is not likely to cause an issue but drinking a large amount of soda regularly can lead to problems.

The expert team of oral health professionals at Spokane Dental want to make sure that your teeth are in the very best condition at all times. While our team will never tell you to stop drinking soda entirely, we will do our very best to educate and guide you and make sure that you are treating your teeth and smile with the utmost care - even when you like sipping on something yummy. Therefore, it’s best to know of the many effects and risks you run when you drink a lot of soda.

What Does Soda Do to Your Teeth?

When you consume soda, the sugar in it reacts with the germs in your mouth. This results in the formation of acid, which damages the teeth. Diet soda includes acid on its own, which can exacerbate tooth decay. When you drink soda, the acid that develops in your mouth assaults your mouth for around twenty minutes, eroding the enamel that protects your teeth. Because their enamel has not fully formed, young children and teens are more susceptible to tooth decay. You may minimize your risk of cavities and other issues by reducing your diet of soda and other sugary drinks and brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day.

Erosion

How does soda impact enamel and cause erosion? Let’s take a close look.

When the acids in soft drinks come into contact with the tooth enamel, the outermost protective covering on your teeth, erosion occurs. They have the effect of lowering the enamel's surface hardness.

Sports drinks and fruit juices can also harm enamel, but this is where it ends. Sodas have repeatedly proven to be more detrimental to your enamel than nearly any other type of drink.

Cavities

Soft drinks like most sodas have the potential to harm the next layer, the dentin, as well as composite fillings. Cavities can form as a result of this damage to your tooth enamel. Cavities, also known as caries, form over time in persons who consume soft drinks on a regular basis. When poor oral hygiene is combined, teeth can suffer a great deal of harm.

How to Prevent Damage

If you're worried about long-term tooth damage, there's just one clear solution: quit drinking soda. However, many of us are unable to break the habit. Our team at Spokane Dental know it can be awfully hard to put down the can and stop drinking soda entirely. Therefore, here are a few other steps you may do to reduce the risk of tooth damage.

    • Moderation: Don’t have more than one soda a day. Ideally, you don’t even drink a whole soda a day but if you can’t get rid of your soda habit entirely, it is important that you cut down substantially.
    • Drink Quickly: The longer you take to drink a soda, the more time it has to do damage to your mouth. The faster you drink, the less time the sugars and acids have to wreck havoc.
    • Use a Straw: When you drink with a straw, this keeps the damaging acids away from the surface of your teeth.
    • Rinse: After you have finished your soda, it is best to rinse your mouth with water immediately. Flushing your mouth out will help get rid of the sugars and acids that remain and will stop them from impacting your smile.
    • Wait Before you Brush: Brushing your teeth right after you finish a soda isn’t a good thing, despite what you might think. That’s because the friction of the brush against the recently attacked teeth will do damage in their own way. You should wait about an hour
      • before you brush again.
    • Drink Something Else: Of course, if you can avoid soda entirely that is the best approach to keeping your teeth healthy. But if you can’t do that, try to drink sodas that have been proven to be less acidic. The most acidic sodas on the market are Pepsi and Coca-Cola, while Diet Coke, Sprite, and Diet Dr. Pepper are the least acidic. Although these alternatives can still do damage, they are better than drinking the most acidic again and again.

Conclusion

At Spokane Dental, we know just how valuable your teeth and smile is. We also know the dangers that lurk when you consume a lot of soda. You should come to us if you have any problems that need to be addressed or just want to maintain a diet that doesn’t have as much soda - and as many oral health problems. We are here to help, and we are ready to assist you in achieving the smile you always wanted.