Carbonated drinks, commonly known as soda or cola are harmful to your oral health. The sugar present in these drinks interacts rapidly with the bacteria present in your mouth thereby promoting the formation of decay-causing acid.
If you want to know more about the science behind it all, feel free to ask a dentist by typing ‘family dentist near me’ online for quick help. Even if you plan on ditching the regular carbonated drinks and go for sugar-free ones, remember, the carbon dioxide present in these drinks also acts as an erosion causing agent.
Effects Of Carbonated Drinks On Your Teeth
Drinking carbonated drinks has two main negative impacts on your teeth. They are described in detail in the following sections:
It accelerates enamel erosion
Enamel is the natural shiny, white coating present on your teeth. It is your teeth’s natural shield against bacteria and oral diseases. Food items like carbonated drinks react with the calcium present in the enamel of your teeth thereby causing it to lose its natural strength and thereby eroding away with time. The result, your teeth will be more vulnerable to oral issues that can eventually lead to tooth loss.
It promotes plaque accumulation that leads to cavities
Excessive consumption of soft drinks leads to accumulation of plaque, general erosion of the gum line as well as irreversible damage to your teeth along with the bad breath.
It has detrimental effects on your teeth long after you have had your drink
Studies have shown that the acid attacks on your teeth continue to last for as long as twenty minutes after you have had that fulfilling, chilled glass of cola. Which means, frequent cola drinkers are more likely to pay their dentist frequent visits when compared to the regular folk.
How You Can Protect Your Beloved Whites From The Negative Impacts Of Carbonated Drinks?
The most obvious preventative step you can take is to steer clear of carbonated drinks at all costs. Other than that, you can go for the following solutions if you still plan to continue gulping down colas.
Always remember to rinse your mouth with water after drinking cola
Rinse your mouth with water after you had a cola. The water will remove the residual sugar from the drink thereby minimizing the damaging effects of the acid forming in your mouth. The result – minimized erosion of tooth enamel thereby keeping cavities at bay.
Don’t start brushing your teeth right away now
Your teeth have just been bombarded with an acid attack from the cola you drank. The enamel is already recovering but if you start brushing your teeth right away, the friction from the toothbrush will only make things worse. Wait for at least an hour before you start brushing.
Be a good client and visit your dentist regularly
It will keep your dentist well informed about the current condition of your teeth. They will make sure to clean your teeth, remove plaque and carry out other necessary procedures if things get worse.
As mentioned earlier, the best approach is to avoid carbonated drinks at all costs. if that is not possible then the least you can do is to go for drinks that have less acid content. Always remember that soft drinks are not at all a healthy choice. If you are thirsty, drink water and make sure you are visiting your family dentist at least once a month to be on the safe side of things.
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