Soda Pop, Sports drinks and Your Teeth

Hot summer days, exercise and the overall good health benefits of being well hydrated requires us to drink more fluids! Soda Pop and Sports Drinks can cause very serious damage to your teeth. One 12-ounce can of Soda Pop has 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar (sucrose). Consuming sugar creates acids in saliva and increased plaque growth. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that grows on the teeth and gums. Tooth decay and gum disease is caused by plaque. The acids can begin to dissolve tooth enamel in only 20 minutes! "Sugar Free" or diet pops also contain acid that can damage your teeth. Sports Drinks contain more sugar than many soda pop products and can cause greater damage to the teeth's enamel and gums. What you really have to be careful about is the frequency that you have soda pop, soft drinks and ALSO drinks like coffee and tea with sugar because continuous sipping throughout the day continually bathes teeth in sugar, a perfect breeding ground for sugar. These drinks often have caffeine in the ingredients to act as a stimulant, but caffeine also causes dehydration. Please be cautious and take care of your teeth and your health. These drinks have no nutritional value. 100% Fruit juices have simple or less complex sugars that the body breaks down and uses quickly. They have nutritional values including vitamins and antioxidants which are good for us! I am not saying you can't enjoy a soda pop or sport drink, but limit your daily use to a minimum. The best drink to keep yourself well hydrated is water.