Photo by Edward Eyer
Should that fizzy carbonated drink be called pop or soda? Whatever side you’re on, there’s one thing you can’t argue about: soda is bad for your health. It’s devoid of key elements like vitamins, minerals, and fibre, and it’s high in calories. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, fatty liver disease, and an increased risk of heart disease and cancer have all been related to drinking sugary soft drinks.
Furthermore, soda’s sugar and acid can cause a double whammy on your teeth.
What Soda Does to Teeth
When you consume sodas, the sugars inside of it react with the germs in your mouth. This results in the formation of acid, which affects the teeth. Artificial sweeteners also have acid, which can exacerbate tooth decay.
When you drink soda, the acid that develops attacks your mouth for roughly 20 minutes, damaging the enamel that coats your teeth. Because their enamel has not fully grown, young children and teenagers are more susceptible to tooth decay.
You can decrease your chances of cavities and other problems by minimizing your diet of soda and other sugary drinks and brushing teeth your teeth twice a day. It’s also crucial to see a dentist on a regular basis for deep cleaning and to address any issues that may occur.
Some sodas will also cause staining in your teeth. Although this is more of an aesthetic issue, teeth whitening in Burlington is an additional procedure you’ll have to go through.
Why diet sodas also pose risks
Diet or sugar-free sodas do not protect you from all of the problems that normal soda causes. While sugar substitutes and other sugar-free caffeinated sodas do not include sugar, they are typically acidic, just like most conventional sodas. Most soft drinks contain acids for flavour, shelf life, and to help prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Soft drinks’ acidity is also increased by carbonation.
These acids can erode and weaken the enamel that covers your teeth, resulting in tooth decay. As a result, even sugar-free carbonated beverages, such as diet sodas, can cause cavities. Because children’s teeth have weaker enamel than adults, they are more susceptible to acid erosion and tooth disease.
Erosion and Cavities
Cavities and erosion are the two most common dental side effects of soda consumption. The acids eat away at the enamel, reducing its firmness. Dentin is the next layer of the tooth, and soda can damage it as well. Cavities can be increased as a result of the damage to the tooth enamel.
Cavities can result in deeper dental health issues. Significant cases of tooth decay will cost you more in dental health procedures. Although root canals in London are efficient and more affordable, it’s always best to avoid getting one by getting cavities filled straight away.
If you’re suspecting some development of cavities for yourself, consider visiting your dental health professional, say, at simcoesmiledental.com.
What Can I Replace Soda With?
Staying hydrated is one of the most critical parts of overall wellness. Because most drinks contain caffeine and sugar, they might dehydrate you. Sports drinks are more hydrating, but they often contain sugar, which can promote cavities.
Diet drinks, sodas, and lemonade can damage your teeth’s enamel, causing tooth decay to progress more quickly. You should drink water to stay hydrated. It’s not only excellent for you, but it won’t harm your teeth like some other drinks can.
How to Prevent Tooth Damage
The best strategy to avoid tooth decay is to stop drinking soda completely. However, if you want to keep drinking soda, you should do it in moderation. You should also drink the soft drink immediately because the more you wait, the more time it has to damage your teeth. You can also avoid tooth damage by drinking soda through a straw.
After drinking soda, you should rinse your mouth with water to help wash away acids and sugars and prevent them from harming your teeth.
Avoid drinking soda before bedtime since the sugar and acid will continue to assault your teeth throughout the night. While brushing your teeth right after drinking a Coke may seem like a good idea, you should wait 30 to 60 minutes. Because the teeth are vulnerable with the sugar and acid, the friction from brushing could potentially inflict more harm.
When it comes to overall health, soda is not the best option. If you do want to drink soda, it is critical that you do so in moderation and that your tooth health is not jeopardized.