Soft drinks can harm your teeth

  • Published
  • By Capt. Nicholas DuVall
  • 7th Aeromedical Dental Squadron
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The choices for soda are endless.

Whether for the taste or a caffeine buzz, children and adults are downing carbonated beverages in record quantities. According to the National Soft Drink Association, soft drinks account for 27 percent of America’s beverage consumption. Drinking sodas, whether diet or regular, has a detrimental effect on teeth. The base dental clinic often sees the erosive effects of habitual soda drinking.

Cavities are formed when acid attacks enamel, the outer covering of teeth. Acid can come in two ways: through plaque bacteria using sugar in people’s diet to produce acid and directly from the acid in the food and drinks that people consume. Saliva is constantly working to rinse the teeth and neutralize the acid. If, however, people are sipping on a soda all day long, they are continuously bathing their teeth in sugar and acid and their saliva is powerless to protect them. The evidence of acid on people’s teeth is visible. It begins as white areas along the gum line and progresses to dark-colored cavities if left untreated.

The message is simple: don’t drink soft drinks or snack on sugary foods inbetween
meals. If you are going to drink a soda, drink it fast and then rinse your mouth with water or brush your teeth. Or better yet, kick the habit and drink water. Also, you can chew gum that contains xylitol, which has anti-cavity effects, for five minutes following a meal. Rinse with a fluoridated mouth rinse, which is available at your local grocery
store, for 30 seconds after brushing and before bed, spit out the excess, and do not rinse with water. During the night, the fluoride will strengthen your teeth and help fight cavities.