Soft drinks, soda, pop. No matter what you call it, it seems that these days it’s the dietary villain of choice. Today in the Stephen Ratcliff Family & Cosmetic Dentistry dental blog, we are going to give you yet another important reason to avoid this ubiquitous drink.
For dental health, soda deals a double punch of damage with two of its ingredients: sugar and phosphoric acid.
Sugar is bad for your teeth primarily because it softens enamel and makes the teeth more prone to dental caries. This is especially harmful to youth and teens because their enamel is not fully developed.
Some people think that they can avoid issues because they decide on diet soda. Unfortunately, the acids found in diet soda have basically the same detrimental softening effect on enamel.
Soda consumption can also cause teeth staining. If your teeth are already stained from soda or anything else, call 817-274-7875 to schedule a teeth whitening consultation.
Our recommendation is simple: stop drinking soda or dramatically reduce your soda consumption to improve your dental health. Also, keep your kids away from soda as much as possible so their teeth have the chance to mature healthily.
Can’t kick the habit? Try to drink water right after you have soda and brush more often (but wait a half hour after you drink your soda so the enamel isn’t brushed while it is soft).
My name is Dr. Stephen Ratcliff. I provide advanced general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry to the Arlington area. If you have any questions about general or cosmetic dentistry, give us a call at 817-274-7875.
Call for your appointment today!
