Choose Your Drinks Wisely

When it comes to making healthy dietary choices, most people tend to focus on calories and fat. However, there are more categories to consider when it comes to making healthy beverage choices. What you drink plays a huge role in the health of your teeth and gums because, with every sip you take, you are essentially bathing your mouth in whatever liquid you choose. Therefore, it is very important to choose your drinks wisely to promote a healthy smile.

It is no secret that coffee, tea, and certain alcoholic beverages can stain the teeth. Teeth-whitening products bring in multi-million dollar sales each year to help people combat stains on their teeth. However, it is also essential to consider that high-sugared drinks will leave your teeth vulnerable to cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay. Fruit juice, sodas, sports drinks, and alcoholic beverages are laden with sugar, and they are not healthy options for your smile. Another element of beverage choices that can drastically impact the health of your teeth is acidity.

Think back to your high school chemistry class and how acids work. Acids break down surfaces, leaving damage behind anywhere they land. Well, the same is true for drinks that you consume that have a pH of below 5.5. When a drink has a pH at or below 5.5, you give your teeth an acid bath with every sip. Highly acidic beverages can dissolve strong tooth enamel (the hardest substance in the human body), cause decay, discoloration, and extreme tooth sensitivity.

If your favorite drink is a soft drink, sports drink, or energy drink, you need to be careful. Not only are these drinks high in sugar, but they are also highly acidic. Even after you finish your beverage, the acids can remain on the teeth, doing damage for up to twenty minutes afterward.

Avoiding acidic and sugary drinks altogether is the most beneficial choice. However, if you decide to indulge in an occasional soda, energy drink, or alcoholic beverage, you need to rinse your mouth with water immediately after drinking. Chewing a piece of sugar-free gum can also help to neutralize the pH of your mouth.

At Montevallo Family Dentistry, every aspect of your oral health is a priority for us. If you are concerned that your teeth are damaged by the beverage choices you have made in the past, contact our practice today. We offer a full menu of treatments to restore the health of your smile.

Posted on behalf of Montevallo Family Dentistry