The dangers of drinking sweet acidic drinks

Exposing your teeth to soft drinks can cause dental erosion. Prolonged exposure can lead to significant irreversible loss of enamel.

Consumers often consider soft drinks to be harmless, believing the main concern is sugar content. Some even choose to consume ‘diet’ drinks to alleviate this concern. However, diet drinks contains phosphoric acid and/or citric acid and can still cause dental erosion.

As a matter of fact, drinking any type of soft drink poses a risk to the health of your teeth. Many soft drinks contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar and may have an acidity that approaches the level of battery acid.

The normal pH value of saliva is 7. Anything under 7 has a higher acid content than saliva and anything with a pH value under 5.5 should be consumed in moderation. In fact, black cola soft drink has a pH of 2.5.

Tooth erosion can affect anyone but those that are most at risk are those whose diet contains a lot of sweet, acidic drinks like fruit juice, sports drinks and soft drinks, as well as those who suffer from dry mouth as saliva is a natural acid neutraliser.

It is no doubt impossible to cut out all the foods and drinks that can cause tooth erosion, as many of them have other beneficial qualities for your general health. However, if you know what might cause acid attack, you can take steps to reduce the harm to your teeth by taking the right precautions.