The impact of sugary drinks on your teeth

Beverages such as soft drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices that are loaded with sugar increase your chances of getting tooth decay which in turn can cause significant damage to your oral cavity, and specifically your teeth.

How tooth decay occurs

When sugary beverages are consumed, the bacteria that is present on your teeth will use any sugar it can get to produce acids which begin to dissolve and damage your teeth. Tooth decay is possible to occur when any amount of sugar is consumed. However, it is extremely unlikely to occur if you are constantly removing bacteria from your teeth by brushing, flossing and utilizing a mouthwash. Consuming sugary beverages counteracts your cleaning efforts as the levels of sugar present in those types of drinks are incredibly high and therefore any bacteria that is dormant on your teeth will have a plentiful amount of sugar to consume and turn to acid. The acids produced by the bacteria will cover your teeth and slowly but surely begin to erode the outer layer of enamel. This can lead to cavities and if your inner tooth becomes exposed it may become sensitive and you will experience constant pain. It is absolutely crucial that you prevent the loss of enamel to protect the long term health of your teeth. Otherwise, there would be no other option than tooth extraction which is something that you want to prevent at all costs.

What can you do to protect yourself from tooth decay?

First and most obviously, you can boycott drinking beverages that have large amounts of sugar present. However, if you must consume them then consider drinking in moderation and drink over a short period of time, as sipping on a sugary drink for an extended period of time will exponentially increase the damage caused. It is beneficial to drink through a straw as this will minimize the amount of contact the sugar makes with your teeth. It is also a good idea to drink water after you finish drinking a sugary beverage as the water will rinse and dilute the sugar away from your teeth. Make sure to never drink sugary beverages before going to sleep as the sugar from the drink and the acids from the bacteria will coat your teeth for hours as you sleep. Lastly, make sure you wait a short period of time after drinking a sugary beverage before brushing your teeth. 60 minutes should be a sufficient amount of time to allow your enamel to rebuild and harden.

Contact us at Trilliant Dentistry to book an appointment for a dental checkup and our dentist as well as our dental hygienist would talk to you further about the implications of sugary drinks.