A Parent’s Guide to Emergency Dental Care

Posted on: 8 January 2015

If you love drinking sports drinks, wine, or fruit juice, you may not realize the damage you are doing to your teeth. While drinking these beverages in moderation may not cause severe damage, drinking them often can. When you drink beverages that are highly acidic, the acid can weaken and damage the enamel on your teeth, and here are three things you should know about this.

What Drinks Are The Worst?

According to Pronamel, sports drinks and carbonated soda (pop) are two of the worst drinks to consume when it comes to the health of your teeth. In addition to this, the following drinks are also damaging to your teeth because of the acid they contain:

• White wine
• Apple juice
• Iced tea
• Tonic water

If you drink these things on a regular basis, you may end up having problems with your teeth. The main problem you may suffer is a loss of tooth enamel, and tooth enamel never replaces itself.

What Happens From Acidic Drinks?

When you consume these types of beverages in large quantities, the acid from them attaches to the teeth and begins attacking the enamel almost immediately. Enamel protects teeth, but once it is gone it is gone for good.

As the acid eats away at the enamel, the teeth become weak and vulnerable, and decay generally starts forming right away. The trouble is that you may not notice a problem because it happens gradually. By the time you do notice a problem, you may already have cavities in your mouth.

This process is known as acid erosion. If you do not address the problem quickly, you may experience other problems too, including:

• Changes in the texture of the teeth
• Shape changes of the teeth
• Differences with the way your teeth look
• Sensitivity of the teeth and gums

If you want to avoid these tooth problems, there are steps you can take.

How Can You Avoid This?

Some people are not willing to give up their favorite acidic beverages, and you really do not have to, but you may need to make a couple of changes with the way you drink these beverages. Here are three things you can do to help decrease your chances of developing acid erosion of your teeth:

1. Shorten the time in which you drink – Instead of sipping on a carbonated soda all day, drink the entire thing in a short amount of time. This decreases the time your teeth are exposed to the acidic beverage and may reduce your chances of damaging your teeth.
2. Swish after drinking – In addition to drinking faster, you should also swish your mouth out with water when you have finished a drink. The water will help remove any acid that is stuck to your teeth.
3. Reduce your drinks – Instead of drinking three acidic beverages each day, try cutting back to one or two.

With these tips, you may be able to protect your teeth from acid erosion. Remember, you will only get one set of permanent teeth in your lifetime, and you should do everything you can to keep your teeth strong and healthy. If you are currently experiencing any problems with your teeth, make an appointment with a dentist for a checkup.