You may love to splurge on soda, but it can really take a toll on your teeth and braces if you wear them. You may think the only harm in consuming these drinks is the sugar involved. Yes, the sugar content is bad, but that’s not the only thing that can do damage. Let’s take a look at some of the negative effects of soft drinks on your smile and braces.
The average American drinks more than 53 gallons of carbonated drinks each year (many of which are sodas) and many young children consume soft drinks every single day, says Livestrong. That number includes 21% of children ages 1 to 2 and 56% of eight-year-olds. There are many health downsides to such high consumption of soft drinks, among them the effect on teeth.
Sugar: While too much sugar isn’t good for your overall health, it’s not detrimental to your teeth per se UNLESS you let it sit there for a while. Its damaging effects have a lot to do with the length of time sugar comes into contact with the teeth. The bacteria present in your mouth (everyone has it) love to feed on sugar. When they do that, they form acid which can erode your tooth enamel. With the average 12-ounce soft drink containing at least 10 teaspoons of sugar, you’re not only putting yourself at risk for obesity and diabetes, you’re also risking your oral health.
Acid: As said above, acids formed from the bacteria in your mouth are just one type you have to worry about. In addition, carbonated beverages also contain phosphoric acid, citric acid or carbonic acid. These, too, wear away at your tooth enamel. Your saliva works hard to reduce these effects and wash some of the acid away, but it’s not nearly enough. When you allow soda to sit on the teeth for hours on end, the damage is being done and you don’t even realize it.
Cut out the soft drinks or start brushing after every meal or drink. Here are some other tips:
- Drink through a straw to minimize the contact with your teeth.
- Don’t nurse your soda: Drink and be done. The longer you take to drink the soda, the longer it is festering in your mouth.
- Drink your soft drink with a meal: Pair your soda with some food, then wash it all down with a swig of water at the very least.
Braces
Cleaning the soda off your teeth without braces is hard enough; WITH braces is even harder. There are lots of nooks and crannies where sugar can hide, making it harder to get it all out even with the most vigilant of brushing routines. Still, it’s wise to brush as well as you can after drinking soda, and don’t forget to floss at night.
Neglecting tooth care now will only invite disappointment later when your braces are removed and there are white spots where your brackets were. Keep up with your regular dental and orthodontic appointments, in the meantime, and call Drs. Savage, Sabol and Visser if you have any questions.
