Soda- To Drink or Not to Drink?


Soda Pouring

That’s a tough question. So let’s look into that a little further:

Soda comes in many different yummy flavors that it’s hard to stay away from them, especially while enjoying your meal.

 

Dentist love Soda

As dental professionals we understand, because we get those cravings too. As a matter of fact we even have a team member that loves Coca Cola (can you guess who that is…), but knows that they should limit those super sugary drinks to no more than 1 a day.

The things with soda is that it first of all stains your teeth (dark soda especially). Secondly the sugar in the soda along with the germs, a.k.a bacteria,  in our mouth love to work together to create an acid that loves to destroy our enamel, the protective layer of the tooth.

Stained Teeth from Soda

Once the enamel layer is destroyed our teeth are very vulnerable to cavities seeing as that bacteria can now stick to our dentin (the soft part of our tooth) and eat away at our tooth even faster. When that happens cavities begin to form and that leads to needing fillings.

Front Teeth Cavities

Does that mean I need to stop drinking soda?

Not at all, it means there are a few things to keep in mind when you want to enjoy a nice cold glass of soda.

  1. Don’t sip all day– Enjoy your soda and be done with it. If you sip all day you never give your mouth a break to wash down all the sugar and keep it from destroying your enamel.
  2. Rinse with water after – After enjoying your soda get in the habit of rinsing with water to help wash away all of the sugar that remains in your mouth before it starts to destroy your enamel.
  3. Use a straw – Using a straw reduces the chances of letting the sugar get to your teeth.
  4. Brush at least twice a day – Don’t do it immediately after you’ve had soda, wait at least an hour. brushing twice a day helps minimize the sugar and bacteria in our mouth from having a cavity party.
  5. Visit your dentist at least twice a year – Visiting your dentist and getting your dental cleanings done at least every 6 months helps catch problems early and maintain a happy and healthy smile!

Happy Teeth Happy Heart

Is it time to schedule your dental exam and cleaning? Click here to schedule your exam today!