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Tales of a bittersweet soda!

By The Dentist

       
Many of us love the taste of sizzling sodas in our mouth- including me! Guilty as charged. But did you know that soda is fond of our teeth too? To those who consume soda frequently or on a daily basis… this is for you.

What does it do?

        Main ingredients of soda include carbonated water, a sweetener and a natural or artificial flavoring. Soda can affect your teeth in 2 ways!
       
            First, bacteria in your mouth can feed on sugar present in soda and produce acids. This can cause decay.
            Second, sodas are highly acidic. These acids can erode the outermost layer of your teeth (enamel). They can also discolor and erode your fillings. This can cause sensitivity.
        This doesn’t mean you can drink diet soda to your heart content. Because they can affect your teeth the second way, which is worse.
        


How can you control?

        We all know that the obvious solution is to grow out of it. But this can be hard for many of us. So we give you few options to soften the blow. This can be done by reducing the duration and frequency of contact of soda with teeth.

  • Limit to 1 drink/day especially to meal time.
  • Try drinking quickly instead of having it sip by sip.
  • To reduce the contact with teeth, you can use a straw.
  • Substitute with non-soda drinks like water, fruit juices.
  • After drinking/ eating any acidic foods wait for at least 30-60 minutes before brushing.
  • Avoid drinking sodas at night time.
  • You can eat sugar free gums instead of cola if you want to feel freshened up.
  • Always rinse your mouth thoroughly after drinking soda.
  • Have a regular dental check-up.
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