New research is coming out everyday about how bad sodas are for our health. Today, I’m focusing on the effects it has on our teeth. Have you heard the slogan, “Sip all day, get decay?” It’s TRUE! The sugar in sodas combined with its very acidic pH combines with the acids in your mouth to form a tooth “jackhammer”. This “jackhammer” starts chipping away at your tooth enamel in as little as 20 minutes after a single sip of soda. So if you’re sipping over an extended period of time, the “jackhammer” is stuck in the ON position. This causes extensive damage to enamel leading to tooth decay. Kids and teens are especially susceptible because their enamel is not fully formed.
So switch to diet…? Nope. Because of the acidic pH of soda, tooth enamel breakdown continues.
Don’t believe me? Try this fun experiment at home with your kids…
Place an extracted tooth (you can get one from your family dentist or a local oral surgeon) in a cup of coke. Wait 24 hours. Pour out the soda and see what’s left of the tooth, if you can find it!