This drink stops soda’s tooth decay

Carbonated soft drinks are a habit that’s hard to kick. The manufacturers make sure they’re everywhere so you can just grab one and go.

But the contents are taking a toll on our teeth. A lot of soda will give you lesions, dental erosion and demineralization. But even a little isn’t so great.

For sugary drinks, the sugar combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid, which attacks the teeth.

“Sugar-free” is no better. Diet soda has its own acid that damages teeth.

Each attack lasts about 20 minutes and starts over with every sip of soda you take.

So what to do?

If you must drink soda, make sure you drink green tea as well.

Green tea has a wealth of health benefits: helping to keep eyes healthier, hearts stronger and cancer at bay. And now researchers in Brazil have found another: It protects your teeth against erosion caused by drinking soft drinks.

When the Bauru School of Dentistry in Sau Paulo did an experiment in which they immersed teeth in cola soft drinks with and without green tea added, they found that supplementing the soft drink with green tea reduced enamel erosion by up to 40 percent.

Green tea is so good for your mouth that they’re using it to enhance healing after dental surgery.

It’s so simple to make. Water and tea leaves and a little bit of heat is all you need. Anyone with a Kuerig machine has instant tooth protection at their fingertips. Of course, sweetened green tea would defeat the purpose, so if you want bottled green tea, look for unprocessed and unfiltered versions.

You can now get mouthwashes with green tea in them, too, and they’ve been proven to reduce plaque and gingivitis as well.