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When you consider the health of your teeth, one of the most important things you can do to help improve it is to be mindful about that drinks that you’re consuming. Everything that passes through your teeth will impact them in some way, especially sugar, carbonated drinks, and caffeine. Your tooth enamel may be strong, but it certainly isn’t invincible against the onslaught of drinks that are harmful to your teeth. To help maintain optimal dental health, here are some drinks to avoid.
Pop
We’ve heard it before, but it’s important to hear it again - pop or soda drinks are very harmful to your teeth and dental health. The combination of high sugar, acid, and carbonation wear away at the enamel of your teeth and produce soft spots over time. This can drastically increase your chances of developing cavities and impacting the health of your teeth.
Coffee
Going without that morning cup of coffee can seem like an outlandish idea to even consider. But you might want to consider at least reducing your intake for the sake of your teeth. Coffee can discolour your teeth over time with regular consumption. It can make your teeth turn an unattractive yellowish colour, which can expose the dentin beneath your enamel. If you can’t live without coffee, try at least reducing your consumption and eliminating any sugar from your cup of joe.
Tea
Similar to coffee, black tea can also produce the same discolouring effect on your teeth over time with enough consumption. If you’re a fan of tea, try swapping out black tea for more herbal brews instead.
Energy Drinks
Whether it’s an energy drink or a sports drink, it seems to make perfect sense to knock back any drink that’s labeled with electrolytes after a workout or game. But beyond the electrolytes, there’s often a ton of other ingredients in those drinks that are doing your body and teeth more harm than good. Most of these types of drinks contain high amounts of sugar or sugar byproducts, along with acid content that also damages tooth enamel.
Alcohol
Whatever your drink of choice may be, the combination of sugar and alcohol are enough to impact your tooth enamel and leave nasty stains over time.
If you find yourself craving a refreshing beverage, try reaching for more water or herbal tea instead. Most drinks these days, other than plain water and herbal tea, contain at least one ingredient or many that are harmful to your teeth. So when you need to replenish, go for the water – your body and teeth will thank you.
