Do you like to enjoy an occasional fizzy drink? It is no secret that carbonated beverages, especially soda, are not great for oral health. But are some options better than others? This blog post provides a brief comparison of diet soda vs. regular soda. It also offers tips on how you can protect your smile from damage.
The Risks of Drinking Soda
At first, it might seem obvious that diet soda is better for your teeth than regular soda. After all, regular soda is loaded with sugar, which can interact with bacteria in your mouth and lead to plaque formation and cavities. Diet options, on the other hand, are sugar-free, so they should be better for your oral health, right?
Well, not really. Even though diet soda does not contain any sugar, it is highly acidic. It can erode your tooth enamel, causing it to become weaker and thinner over time.
In an experiment conducted by University of Melbourne’s Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre, researchers exposed extracted human teeth to 15 different beverages. There was no significant difference between the damage caused by sugary drinks and that caused by sugar-free alternatives. Milk was the only tested beverage that caused negligible damage.
How to Protect Your Teeth
Of course, the best way to protect your teeth from any kind of soda is to avoid drinking such beverages altogether. You can try some oral health-friendly alternatives, like milk and unsweetened tea.
However, it is understandable if you choose to indulge once in a while. After all, soda is delicious and refreshing! Here are some steps you can take to minimize the damage to your smile:
- Drink through a straw. This reduces the amount of contact that the liquid has with your teeth.
- Drink quickly. Instead of slowly sipping your soda over the course of several hours, try to finish it relatively quickly. This reduces the amount of time that your teeth are exposed to acid.
- Be sure to brush—but not too soon. Brush your teeth about one hour after you finish a soda. Brushing too soon could actually further harm your teeth because you should not brush when your enamel has been softened by acid.
- Drink water. After you finish a soda, sip on some water. It can help to rinse away some of the sugar and acid in your mouth.
Both diet soda and regular soda can harm your smile! Indulge sparingly so you can maintain a healthy mouth.
Meet the Practice
The experienced team of oral health experts at Abington Family Dental Care proudly provides preventive and restorative services to patients in our community. If you are curious about how you can protect your smile against damage, we would be pleased to advise you. To book an appointment or ask questions, get in touch with us at 781-780-2658.