38th Street Dental - Taking Care of Your Teeth
— Soft Drinks and Dental Decay —
All of our lives we have heard about how candy and sweets cause tooth decay. This is not untrue, but there are many other sources of dental decay in our diets that have a much greater effect on the rate at which our teeth become diseased. More and more, researchers are looking into the effects of beverages containing both sugar, or some form of sugar, and some form of acid. This can be citric acid found in fruit juices and sports drinks or carbonic acid which provides the foam and fizz in all of our favorite carbonated beverages.
A pilot study of the effects some of these beverages had on enamel appeared in the July/August 2004 issue of General Dentistry. This study found that over time, exposing dental enamel to carbonated beverages and non-carbonated canned ice tea weakens and permanently destroys enamel.
The study notes that about 27 percent of the beverages consumed by Americans are soft drinks. Overall soft drink consumption has steadily increased over the years, and is rising, contributing to an increase in oral health problems such as cavities. In 1977, 12- to 19-year-olds drank 16 ounces of soda a day. In 1996, this same age was found to consume nearly twice that amount.
According to the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies (DNFS), soda consumption has increased from 22.2 gallons of cola per person per year in 1970 to 44 gallons per person per year in 1996. The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) says that figure increased to 56 gallons in 1999-meaning about 14 billion gallons of soda were consumed in America that year.
Soft drinks and canned beverages are constant features of daily life, and the $54 billion the industry rakes in each year suggests it won't go away anytime soon. However, soda can be enjoyed in limited quantities. The study pointed out those sodas with a meal is less injurious than when consumed alone and continuous sipping is more harmful than the whole drink taken at one time.
According to Cynthia Sherwood, DDS and AGD spokesperson, soda's combination of sugar and acidity can be lethal to teeth. Though the level of risk varies from person to person, Dr. Sherwood says, Repeated exposure of soda through sipping over a long period of time increases the risk of getting a cavity.
If you are a big fan of fruit juices, sports drinks, and carbonated beverages, how can you reduce the impact on your oral health? First, try to limit your consumption of these high octane
type drinks to meal time only. In doing so, you will limit the amount of time your teeth are exposed to the double threat of acids and sugar. Secondly, limit your sipping
behaviors. Many of us sit at workstations each day and like to have a little something to drink while we work. Often, this means a 20 oz. soda or other sweetened drink that is with us for several hours while we work. This causes the teeth to be bathed in the high
acid and high sugar combination over an extended period of time. In turn, the damage to the teeth is often greater when beverages are consumed in this manner. Finally, if you do incorporate these drinks into your daily routine, be sure to up your efforts at oral hygiene to help reduce the impact of sugars and acids on your teeth.
Dr. Mike Meek and David Tasch DDS - Providing cosmetic dentistry to the Austin, Texas area.
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