Is What You’re Drinking Damaging Your Dental Health?

Is What You're Drinking Bad for Your Dental Health?Do you love nothing more than your first sip of coffee each morning? What about soda breaks midday, or Happy Hour after work, with your friends? Have you ever considered what your beverage choices could be doing to your dental health, much less your waistline? Even seemingly healthy drink options can often be laden with added sugars, which are particularly troublesome for teeth. Fortunately, with some knowledge, and help from your preventive dentist, you can make smart drink choices which can protect your dental health!

Sodas Aren’t the Only Dangerous Beverage

Sodas get a bad reputation, and with good reason. They are filled with sugars, and also highly acidic, making them a leading cause of cavity development. That said, sodas are hardly the only problematic beverage choice, where one’s oral health is concerned.

Any beverage that contains a great deal of sugar, as well as those that are acidic in nature, can be dangerous for the teeth’s enamel, which is strong but porous, allowing substances to erode it over time.

Coffees and many dark teas, particularly if drunk with sweeteners, like creams or sugars, can be bad for dental health, as well. Even juices and smoothies, with added sugars, can be problematic. (Keep this in mind if your kids drink a lot of juice, as well. It can be bad for their dental health, as well. Talk to their children’s dentist about why, and how to prevent erosion.)

Be Smart about What You Eat and Drink

One of the most important things you can and should do everyday to protect your dental health, is simply drink water. Water is essential to your whole body’s function, but it also helps protect the teeth and gums in particular. That is because water helps produce saliva, which naturally limits bacteria’s ability to stick and calcify on the surface of the teeth, where it can cause erosion, cavities, and other issues.