Love Soda?

There’s something about sweet carbonation we LOVE. It may not be the healthiest of beverages, but for many, soda is addictive, satisfying, and great with a burger. Like we’ve said before, indulgences are fine in moderation, but remember, those bubbly, sugary drinks have acid which can harm your teeth. A study by the Academy of General Dentistry showed that there is a direct connection between tooth decay/erosion caused by soda consumption.

Without going into complicated details, extracted, healthy teeth were tested in a controlled setting and exposed to soft drinks for 20 days. The test-drinks included nonsugared (diet and sugar-free) and regular, sugared name-brand selections. At the end of the experiment, overall, the zero-calorie and sugar free drinks were more harmful to the teeth than sugared sodas. Most of the damage was enamel erosion which is dependent on a few factors: how long soda is exposed to teeth, amount of titratable acid and acidic level in the drink, as well as if the soda is diet/zero calorie because of the artificial sweeteners.

Many dental professionals, including the doctors at Pearl Dental NYC in the Financial District, are concerned with this growing evidence because it can lead to many dental diseases. You don’t have to shy away from your mid-day cola (we know it helps you stay alert) but remember to use a straw or rinse your mouth after that last gulp and say ‘bye-bye’ to those sugary, acidic ninjas.