Although tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the human body, it’s not invulnerable.
A teeth grinding habit can wear it down. The highly acidic waste generated by harmful oral bacteria can eat through it. A highly acidic diet can do the same.
Of particular concern are fruit juices and soft drinks, as they deliver a big double-whammy: Not only are they acidic; they can contain a lot of sugar. How much is “a lot”? A single can of Coke contains nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar. A standard Hershey bar contains “only” 6.
Some fruit juices are even more sugary than sodas. If that can of Coke were filled with grape juice instead, you’d drink 12 teaspoons of sugar.
And sugar is the favorite food of those bacteria we mentioned earlier. The acids they produce are a product of their gorging on all that sweetness.
Once you’re aware of just how bad these drinks can be for your teeth, you may decide to switch to drinks that seem healthier – kombucha, for instance, or tea, coconut water, yerba mate, or sparkling water. Yet even these can be quite acidic. (Some contain sugars, as well.)
Yes, even plain sparkling water. Carbonation does that. Flat water has a neutral pH of 7. Most sparkling waters have a pH below 6. Plain Perrier, for instance, has an average pH just above 5.
A 2023 study of the erosive potential of popular soft drinks found that nearly all of them had a pH level under 4. That’s the level where we can expect to see tooth damage. Over one-third of the drinks tested had a pH under 3, which is considered “extremely erosive” While some of them are no surprise, really – Coke and Coke Zero, Rockstar Punched – others might make you do a double-take. Lemon Pelligrino, anyone?
And although that paper’s testing was done on drink formulations sold in the United Arab Emirates, American studies have had similar findings. A 2016 study, for instance, found that 93% of all drinks tested had a pH under 4, with almost 40% being extremely erosive.
One simple fact makes enamel erosion something to take seriously: Once you lose tooth enamel, there’s no getting it back. Once your teeth are formed, your body no longer has the cells it needs to make more. So you need to take care of it.
The alternative is tooth sensitivity and a much greater vulnerability to decay and gum disease.
When you reach for a drink, the thing to reach for is plain or alkaline water. If you really don’t like the taste of plain water or want something fancier, you can infuse it with slices of fruit, vegetables, or even some fresh herbs. Easy-peasy.
If you’re really, really wanting that soda or lemonade or sweet tea or other beverage that can damage your teeth, drinking through a straw will at least limit how much comes in contact with your teeth. And afterwards? Rinse with water to cleanse your mouth and help it return to its normal, neutral pH.
Your teeth will be grateful for that.
