PRINTED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
February 23rd, 2013
You may have read recently in the press about a 25 year old man in Australia who has been fitted with dentures due to the fact that he drank so much soda that he lost all his teeth. According to the reports, the man refused to drink water and instead was drinking 6-8 litres of sugary coke per day. Although his dentist had warned him about the risks, he still refused to change his habits and ended up with such severe dental decay that it gave him blood poisoning. Ultimately he had all of his teeth removed and dentures fitted.
This is obviously quite a shocking and extreme story but it does provide a good illustration of how sugar, and particularly sugary drinks, can be a threat to dental health.
You might be surprised to know that it isn’t just the sugary sodas that are bad for your teeth. Energy drinks such as Gatorade and Red Bull are high in sugar as are regular fruit juices. Also watch out for many of the so-called ‘heathy’ flavoured water or vitamin drinks as these can often contain significant amounts of sugar. It is definitely worth reading the packaging.
Sugar and Teeth
When you drink sugary drinks, the naturally occurring bacteria in your mouth use the sugar to make acid. It is this acid that attacks the teeth and creates tooth decay and cavities. Your mouth becomes an acid environment for about 30 minutes before your saliva balances (buffers)
the acid and your mouth returns to a more neutral state. If, like the man in Australia, you are constantly drinking soda throughout the day your mouth will never have chance to ‘recover’ and it will maintain the acid environment all day. It is then
inevitable that your teeth will be under attack from that acid and decay will ensue. The format of a liquid means that the sugar easily swills around the mouth and very effectively coats the teeth.
Acid and Teeth
Some drinks may not be high in sugar but can be as damaging to your teeth as they contain acid, which can go to directly attack your teeth. Diet sodas are a good example as they are sugar-free but are high in acid. If you drink an acidic drink, for example fruit juice at breakfast, do not brush your teeth immediately afterwards. This might sound counter-intuitive but this is because the acid causes the tooth enamel to de-mineralize (soften) and immediate brushing can brush away the softened enamel. Waiting 30 minutes will enable the enamel to re-mineralize and then you can safely brush.
Recommendations
As much as possible I would recommend cutting down on soda and view it as a special-occasion treat rather than an everyday occurrence; as well as being bad for teeth soda is not considered good for you general health either. If you do have a soda, a drinking straw can be a useful tool as it directs the drink straight to the back of the mouth, helping it to avoid contact with the teeth. Also,drinking a glass of water immediately afterwards can help to wash away the sugar from the teeth…. Although dropping the soda and just drinking the glass of water is even better!
Finally brushing twice a day and regular visits to the dentist will ensure that any problems are detected and treated early and, unlike our Australian friend, you are not left with dentures before your twenty-sixth birthday.
