The damage soda does to your teeth in a little as 10 minutes

The next time you get the urge to crack open your favorite soda, you might want to think again.

Sure, enamel, the hard white outer coating of your teeth, is the hardest substance found in the human body, even stronger you’re than your bones.

It’s 96 percent mineral, which the experts say makes it so durable and capable of resisting damage. This is what allows enamel to act as a barrier to protect the soft inner layers of your teeth.

But it’s not invincible…

Two things have the power to seriously break down your enamel — acids and sugars.

And once your enamel is damaged, you can end up with dental problems ranging from stains and fractures to extreme sensitivity and cavities.

That’s why every soda you drink is doing measurable damage…

However, for the first time, scientists have taken a peek at the nanoscale level to measure just how rapidly and powerfully sodas can break down your tooth enamel and steal your oral health…

Soda etches teeth in just minutes

The research at The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) used a cutting-edge method of applying atomic force microscopy to study how certain beverages erode your tooth enamel on the nanoscale.

The team of scientists chose three commercially available popular beverages — Coca-Cola®, Sprite®, and Minute Maid® orange juice — to run their tests.

And here’s where it gets interesting… and just a bit gross…

They extracted one molar from each of five healthy volunteers. It’s true, each person said goodbye to a tooth in the name of science.

The team then immersed the teeth in these drinks over time in order to analyze the impacts on the enamel and to specifically monitor the “etching process” which is known for making the surface of teeth rougher. Using atomic microscopy, here’s what they found:

• After just 10 minutes of immersion in any of these sodas, a tooth’s enamel surface was five times rougher, and the surface roughness of the tooth enamel increased significantly as the immersion time increased.
• The elastic modulus of the enamel surface (enamel’s ability to resist damage and deformation) was five times lower after only five minutes in the drinks.

They also saw that previously scratched or damaged areas of the teeth became prime targets for new etching — compounding damage.

Of course, you’re not going to take a big sip of soda or orange juice and hold it in your mouth for 10 minutes. But every sip is changing an important protective mechanism in your mouth…

Help your mouth protect your teeth

There’s one more way sodas work against your pearly whites — they change the pH level of your saliva.

Normally, saliva promotes the remineralization of your teeth, but it depends on the pH of the mouth. Two main things can adversely affect its healthy balance: our saliva becomes more acidic the older we get — and the foods and drinks we put in it.

According to the folks at Colgate, “The food and drinks you consume, especially sugary ones like soda, affect the pH of your mouth. When you eat or drink, the bacteria in your mouth break down carbohydrates. These bacteria release various types of acids, which lower your saliva pH.”

They go on to say when the pH of your saliva drops below 5.5, your tooth enamel starts to break down.

You can test your pH using pH strips, but there are a few telltale signs that indicate your mouth is leaning toward an unhealthy level of acidity, including:

• Cavities. Many of us coast through life with few then are hit with them in our 40s and 50s.
• Sensitivity to hot or cold drinks or foods.
• Bad breath. And no one wants that.
• A dry mouth.

Improve the pH of your mouth by adding more alkaline foods to your diet, like spinach, kale, celery, avocado, broccoli and cucumber.

Foods to eat less of, beyond sodas and other sugary drinks, include black coffee, dairy, eggs, meats and processed or canned foods since they all fall into the acid spectrum.

And lastly, don’t rush to brush your teeth right away if you slip up and have a soda in a moment of weakness. Your enamel will be vulnerable immediately after consuming one. Instead, rinse your mouth with water (really well) and wait for at least a half-hour before brushing.

Just remember, when it comes to protecting your teeth and saving your enamel from the damage that can lead to cracking, chipping, stains and pain, skip the soda and keep your pH balanced.

Sources:

Atomic force microscopy reveals nanoscale dental erosion from beverages — EurekAlert!

Tooth Enamel Erosion and Restoration — WebMD

How High-Alkaline Foods Benefit Your Teeth — Colgate

Why Your Saliva pH is Important — Colgate

Alkaline Diets — WebMD