You brush and floss regularly and visit the dentist like you should, so your mouth should be safe from decay, right? Wrong! When it comes to your dental hygiene, what you put into your body matters too. Many patients do not realize the impact that sipping on sodas all day can have on their teeth. Here is how coke can kill your dental hygiene.
Coke and other soft drinks contain sugar. The fact that sugar leads to cavities comes to no surprise for most people. Although, you may wonder, can sipping on soda really be that bad for my teeth? The answer is yes. There is this slogan, “Sip all day, get decay.” When you sip on soda throughout the day, the sugar mixes with the harmful bacteria in your mouth and forms acid, which is highly corrosive as it erodes your dental enamel. Even diet sodas contain this acid that eats away at your tooth enamel over time. On average, it takes about 20 minutes for the acid to begin attacking your teeth. Every time you take another sip, the attacks start over again.
Our teeth are naturally formed with an outer layer, know as enamel, but once eroded, teeth become more susceptible to decay and patients often experience tooth sensitivity or pain. It is important to protect the enamel on your teeth because once gone, it will not come back. Enamel is hard and durable, but the damage cannot be reversed. Many dental treatments can repair the damage caused by enamel erosion, but nothing is quite as good as your natural tooth enamel. Protecting your teeth to begin with is the better solution to good oral hygiene.
If you are a soda drinker, here are some solutions to kick your habit. Try not to sip on sodas throughout the day. Instead, drink one and be done. Also, rinse your mouth out with water afterwards, or better yet, brush your teeth when you are done. Limit your intake of sodas to only one per day, at the most. Try to drink fluoridated water instead of soda to ensure you remain hydrated throughout the day. Last, be sure to visit the dentist regularly for your checkups and cleanings.
To schedule your next visit, contact Hartrick Dentistry today. We welcome patients of Royal Oak and Birmingham MI.