DRINKING ENERGY AND SPORTS DRINKS on a regular basis is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people. But did you know that these drinks can be extremely damaging to your teeth? Many people think these drinks aren’t harmful that only soda is harmful. Oftentimes people replace cola with a sports drink believing they are making a better choice. That isn’t really true and oftentimes the energy drinks are far worse than cola.
Sports and Energy Drinks Are Highly Acidic
It’s important to remember the purposes of each of these drinks so as not to consume them more often than you should. Energy drinks may provide a pick-me-up during a long day at work, but drinking one or more energy drinks every day can damage your teeth in the long run.
Sports drinks were made to keep your body hydrated and energized during bouts of intense exercise. While they may be beneficial during a good workout, these drinks should never take the place of water and should not be consumed casually or on a daily basis.
The reason for this is that both energy and sports drinks are highly acidic. Regularly consuming food or drink with high acidity levels wears away your tooth enamel. This makes teeth more susceptible to cavities, tooth discoloration, and sensitivity.
The Combination of Sugar and Acid is the perfect formula for tooth decay
Energy and sports drinks launch a twofold attack on your teeth: while acid weakens the enamel, sugar feeds cavity-causing bacteria and contributes to decay. Not a good combo! While sugar-free options are available, the majority of these types of drinks are chock full of sugar. Unfortunately, even the sugar-free versions are still as acidic as their sweet counterparts.
Consume Acidic And Sugary Beverages Wisely
Here are some tips to protect your teeth if you are drinking energy and sports drinks:
- Don’t make it a daily habit. Drink sports drinks only during high intensity workouts, not on a regular basis, and minimize the amount of energy drinks you consume. These drinks have an acidic Ph, the bacteria that harm our teeth thrive in an acidic environment. Drinking too many acidic beverages gives these bad bacteria an opportunity to harm our teeth.
- Drink it all at once instead of sipping throughout the day.
- Rinse out your mouth or chew sugarless gum afterward. This will help increase saliva production and counteract acidity. Especially gum with xyllitol in it, xyllitol actually helps us fend off tooth decay.
Know The Facts, Protect Your Smile
Believe it or not, the adverse effects these drinks have on teeth aren’t widely known. With 30 to 50 percent of U.S. teens consuming energy drinks, and as many as 62 percent consuming at least one sports drink per day, it’s important that people understand how damaging they can be to teeth. There is a spike in tooth decay in our youth many believe it is related to these drinks. Here in Chattanooga, we have HOT and HUMID summers drinking one sports drink after a hot activity is okay, drinking them all day long is where the problems come in.
Here is a video to watch on sports and energy drinks.
If you have more questions about sports or energy drinks, call us or send us a Facebook message!
We’re always happy to hear from our patients.
McOmie Family Dentistry
