While your teeth may be strong, they are not indestructible. Most popular drinks have a very high level of acid, and this acidity can damage your enamel. Once it is damaged, you’ll need your dentist’s help to repair it so that it doesn’t wear away more.
Dangers of Acidic Drinks
Drinks with a high pH level can cause a variety of oral health problems, but it begins when they eat away at the hard, outer layer of your teeth. Enamel erosion is a problem because enamel that becomes destroyed can’t grow back. Unlike other materials in your body, your enamel doesn’t have any living cells, so there’s no way for it to heal itself.
When your tooth enamel erodes, the sensitive, yellow-colored dentin underneath is exposed. This is why your teeth will start to look discolored when you don’t take care of them. But the exposed dentin doesn’t just have cosmetic downsides; it can also lead to painful dental conditions like tooth sensitivity. People with sensitive teeth experience pain when they drink or bite into hot, cold, sweet, acidic, or spicy foods and drinks, and it can have adverse effects on their diet in the long run.
Common Acidic Drinks
Studies have indicated diet soda isn’t any more tooth-friendly than regular soda. Although it is sugar-free, it’s still overwhelming to your enamel if you drink it regularly. Even small quantities of soda can damage your teeth; as little as one glass per day has been linked to damage, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Because citrus-based fruit juices contain healthy vitamins and minerals, you may assume they’re healthy for your teeth as well. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Orange juice and similar citrus-sourced liquids are packed with Vitamin C, but they’re packed with tooth-damaging acids as a result. In fact, both lemon and lime juice are comparable to the acidity of battery acid.
Wine is another highly acidic beverage. And although red wine is slightly less acidic than white wine, both can damage your teeth and should be consumed in moderation.
Several studies show that bottled water, particularly the ones with high or low pH levels, can cause cavities. For those who are unfamiliar with pH, it stands for potential hydrogen. When used in the context of water, pH refers to the amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions that it contains. Drinking water that is too acidic or too alkaline can cause cavities.