Sipping: The Easiest Way to Ruin Your Teeth

Highlights:

Sipping on your drinks throughout the day is normal, but it can really affect your teeth
Acids in drinks can erode the surface of the teeth, leading to decay and erosion
The longer the acids stay in your mouth, the quicker they work to harm your teeth

Everyone knows sweets, soda, and sugar are horrible for your teeth. But it turns out there’s something that beats them and it's not what you think. That something is sipping.

Consider the coffee on your desk, the tea you sip throughout the day, and every cup you don't finish in one sitting. According to research, acid is the key factor in a beverage's ability to damage your teeth. And practically every beverage available, including sparkling water, contains some amount of acid.

Nursing a beverage for hours, unless it is flat water, is terrible for your oral health.

"Tooth enamel is the hardest mineralized substance in your body, but prolonged exposure to acid, especially acidic liquids, can cause teeth to demineralize, erode, and become more susceptible to cavities," says Dante Devoti, DMD, assistant professor of dental medicine at Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine ().

"Drinking one cup of coffee, tea, juice, or other drink in a single sitting is better for your teeth than sipping one cup throughout the entire day."

Test Your Knowledge on Sugar Intake and Oral Health
Sugar is one kind of carbohydrate. Sugars, like other carbs, provide your body with energy. Sugars are either added to foods and beverages or naturally occur in some foods....

‘Sipping your coffee throughout the day might keep you energized but it can be horrible for your teeth. #oralhealth’

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Why the pH of your Mouth Matters

To maintain a healthy mouth, the acid-base balance should be as neutral as possible. Reminder from science class: pH indicates how acidic or basic (alkaline) something is on a scale of 1 to 14. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. The lower the pH (less than 7), the more acidic the solution. The higher the pH (more than 7), the more alkaline the environment.

The longer acid stays in your mouth, the faster it causes damage. Saliva sweeps away food particles and balances the pH of the mouth. However, it is not instantaneous.

"Whenever you eat or drink something other than still water, it takes about 60 minutes for your saliva to elevate the pH out of the more harmful acidic range back towards the more protective neutral range," says Devoti.

Guide to Brushing Your Teeth the Right Way
Gentle brushing up to four minutes twice a day in a proper way is linked to better long-term oral health. At the same time, do not overdo this to avoid damage to teeth and gums.

Sipping Means Giving Way to Tooth Erosion

When you sip the same cup throughout the day, saliva does not have enough time to adjust your oral pH, and your teeth are not remineralized and reinforced. A persistently low pH provides an environment in which teeth are more prone to erosion, which occurs when tooth structure dissolves ().

Further, says Devoti, "adding sugars, cream, or flavoring agents to coffee, tea, and other beverages makes them even greater offenders to your teeth, especially if sipping."

Sugary Diet May Up Tooth Cavities, Gum Disease Risk
Consuming too many sugary foods such as chocolates, pastries, soft drinks, and candies can increase the risk of dental cavities and inflammation of the gums (periodontal diseases).

Stay Away From Soda if you Want to Keep Your Teeth

Sodas are just acidic water and sugar, and that is the worst possible combination for your teeth. "Drinking soda is essentially a sugary acid bath for the teeth," says Devoti. Sodas have a pH of 3 to 4. When the oral pH falls below 5.5, teeth begin to deteriorate ().

Furthermore, the sugars in soda provide a food source for dangerous microorganisms in the mouth. Bacteria devour sugars and convert them to acid, thus lowering oral pH.

"Sugary drinks create a cycle of destruction to your teeth," says Devoti.

Sweet Tea or Water With Lime Damages Teeth
Squeezing in lime juice to tea or a glass of water might be refreshing but it increases the chances of tooth erosion due to its acidic nature.

Sugar-Free Sodas Aren’t Good for Your Teeth Either

This is not to say that sugar-free and diet sodas are bad for your teeth: They are acidic, and the alternative compounds have additional drawbacks ().

"When there are repeated, long exposures, almost all food and drink can be considered harmful to teeth," says Devoti.

"Good oral habits go beyond brushing and flossing to recognizing how eating and drinking habits, such as frequent snacking or sipping on beverages throughout the day, can be equally impactful on the health of our teeth."

References:

Sipping is Terrible for Your Teeth - (https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/sipping-terrible-your-teeth)
Pathogenesis and modifying factors of dental erosion - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8804887/)
Microbiology of Dental Decay and Periodontal Disease - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8259/)
Assessing the Effect of Low Calorie Soda Beverages on Primary Tooth Enamel: An In Vitro Study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31034345/)

Source-Medindia