Tooth-Friendly Drinks This Summer

It’s nearly summer! As the temperature in Canberra rises, it may be tempting to grab a bottle of chilled drink—but beware! Some drinks that you might choose to consume to cool down or rehydrate may well do your teeth more harm than good.

Soft drinks, sports drinks, and even fruit juices generally contain high levels of sugar. These sugars feed the plaque bacteria that sit on and around your teeth and gums, and the well-fed plaque germs in turn produce an acidic waste product. When this acidic waste sits undisturbed on the tooth enamel for long periods, it will cause the enamel to dissolve away. This leads to a cavity or hole in the tooth.

The solution is simple- the less plaque, the less sugar, the less cavities…

Some drinks that might taste and feel refreshing are also quite acidic- for instance, sugar-free carbonated drinks and sports drinks, as well as fruit juices. If the teeth are frequently awash with this type of beverage their enamel coating will gradually dissolve. This can lead to increased tooth wear, sensitivity and cavities.

According to the Australian Dental Association, the occasional sugary beverage won’t cause too much harm. They do recommend that you consume these drinks during meal times to lessen the risk of acid attack because it is during meal time when your saliva is working double-time to wash away food particles.

Then again, the best drink to beat the summer heat is something that’s readily available to us—tap water. Not only does it contain zero sugar or acid but it is also fortified with fluoride—the perfect thirst-quencher that’s also tooth-friendly!