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?
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 everyday 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 Packs a Mean Punch
Sports and energy drinks
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.
- 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. Gum sweetened with xylitol is especially helpful!
- Neutralize the acid. Drinking milk or eating a piece of cheese will help neutralize the acids.
Know The Facts, Protect Your Smile
Believe it or not, the adverse effects these drinks have on teeth isn'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.
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.
Here's to your health!
Image by Flickr user Keith Allison used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
