Soft Drinks : Menace for your Teeth

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#1 Post by **drsandeep** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:07 pm

They taste great, but drink too many of them and your smile will soon start to suffer.

As a Dentist, we can spot a soft-drink guzzler by the thin, matt, yellow-tinged surface of their front teeth. When we see these telltale signs in teenage clients, our first impulse is to ask: "How much soft drink do you consume?" The answer is usually two to three cans a day.

Soft-drink consumption has increased many folds, from about 47 liters a head annually to 113 liters.

Soft drinks contain a blend of sugar and acid that produces their trademark bite and tang. This sweet-and-sour ocean might be gripping for the taste buds, but it is highly corrosive for teeth, especially children's. Young tooth enamel is quite porous and more easily dissolved by acids than mature enamel.

It's disturbing news, therefore, that a quarter of all two- to three-year-olds consumed soft drink. The amount increased with age to 45 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds and 57 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds.

"When children's teeth are frequently exposed to acidic drinks, this dissolves the calcium in tooth enamel and over time can lead to a crumbling of the tooth structure" As well as tooth erosion, soft drinks contribute to tooth decay by supplying sugar to the plaque bacteria; about 10 teaspoons in each can. These micro-organisms metabolize sugar and produce acids that cause caries (decay).

It isn't just the acid-sugar mix in drinks that poses a dental danger; soft drinks are being drunk instead of tap water and milk, potentially compromising children's intake of protective nutrients such as calcium and fluoride.

This change in children's exposure to risk and protective factors may account for some of the recent rise in dental caries observed in children.

There has been a steady increase in deciduous "baby" teeth with decay among primary school children & an increase in decay in children's permanent teeth.

As well as soft drinks, there are sports drinks, which are formulated to enhance exercise performance but are drunk as a "nice tasting drink". Consumers are lapping up these new alternatives. Sales of energy drinks have increased & most probably it is about 2-3 times more than the increase in soft-drink sales over the same period.

With brand names that exude youth appeal, it's not surprising they've found their way into the diets of teenagers.

Is there such a thing as a healthier soft drink when it comes to teeth?

"Children and parents often perceive energy and sports drinks as healthier than soft drinks," but with similar sugar and acid levels they offer no dental-health or nutritional advantage.

Some sports drinks have slightly lower sugar and acid contents - but their pattern of use exacerbates the damage. "The problem is kids tend to sip on them over time, rather than drink them all at once" This keeps the tooth enamel constantly exposed to acid.

When Soft drinks or Sports drinks are used to rehydrate a dry mouth, the risk of damage is even greater, since there is little saliva to help neutralize acid on the tooth's surface.

Some drinks use sugars such as glucose and fructose, which were once thought to be safer for teeth than sucrose. However, all sugars have virtually the same potential for acid production in dental plaque as sucrose, according to a literature review of soft drinks and dental health published in the Journal of Dentistry.

Well aware of the bad health rapport on their products, soft-drink makers have launched alternatives. But diet soft drinks that are free from sugar are still acidic. "They don't cause decay but they do cause tooth erosionâ€

#2 Post by **jennielee81** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 4:45 pm

Thank you!!!

This information will be quite helpful in my anti-soda campaign with my teenagers!! I'm forwarding it to them (3) now. (side note, none of the 3 has ever had a single cavity)

When I was a kid (teenager included) my mom only let us have "coke" when we were sick. I hated her for that restriction then, but thank her now.

I try and instill this in my kids today, but the times are quite different and they have access where I did not. We didn't have a coke machine or even a McDonalds in my town!

#3 Post by **Attagirl2** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 8:13 am

Thank you Dr. Sandeep. You have cleared up many questions posed by people on this board. We know it is bad for us, but you have provided the facts for us.

#4 Post by **drsandeep** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:15 am

To All Forum Members,

Hi....

I think it was my moral duty to inform all of you regarding Ill affects of Soft drinks & Energy drinks as they have found their way into our daily diet, slowly n steadily.
One thing I'd forgot to mention is the amount of Pesticides & other chemicals present in them. They are known Carcinogens.

The irony is, fully aware of facts, we still consume these Toilet Cleaners.

#5 Post by **Joual** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:46 pm

That's really informative. So many people aren't aware of how processed foods can harm them.

#6 Post by **KriegeR** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:19 pm

Despite me having braces on, I have just recently managed to crack my 'addiction' to fizzy drinks. I know the ortho's tell you not to drink too much fizzy stuff but I was drinking 1 can and 2 large glasses of the stuff a day. Now I just put a large jug on the table full of cold water with a slice of lemon and a slice of lime in there, and hey presto, I drink that instead.

I think on the corrosive front, soft drinks are more damaging to children's teeth, but drunk in extreme quantities they can be just as bad for adults.

Anyway I broke away from them so anyone else can. I also managed it with coffee too, which was quite a task as caffeine addiction is nearly as bad as tobacco.

#7 Post by **Samantha08** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:03 pm

Thats why I dont drink soda!! :0) Never have, and never will!

#8 Post by **lionfish** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:24 pm

Well said! I'll drink to that [goes off and pours another gin and tonic]

#9 Post by **missing_tooth** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:49 am

Great info.

- Missing Tooth -

#10 Post by **ShinySmile** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:58 am

Don't forget sports drinks...a lot of studies are showing they are worse on your teeth than soda. http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_so ... rts_drinks

#11 Post by **diande** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:06 am

I'm going to have my niece read this right away! Just this morning I was scolding her again for her excessive soft drink consumption! And what's worse is that she has pretty teeth!

#12 Post by **jalapeno** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:24 pm

I don't see not drinking soft drinks as depriving myself. If you stop drinking them then after a while you acquire a real appreciation and enjoyment of the taste of water. Waters all taste different. The best way to enjoy water is to drink it at room temperature then you can taste it.

Soft drinks are just poison the drink corporations have got most people addicted to. It's not what your body really wants.

Once you drop the addiction to the sugar/acid/caffeine combo water is actually more enjoyable. In my opinion.

A few beers on a Saturday is nice though