Did you know that enamel—the outer layer of your teeth—is harder than any other substance in your body. While fluoride can help keep your enamel strong and fight off decay, the foods we eat have the opposite effect. In fact, acids from food will weaken your enamel for about thirty minutes after you eat.
Naturally, some foods are more acidic than others, including fruits and vegetables. This makes it difficult to completely avoid these foods. To make matters worse, sugars create an environment where acids and bacteria can thrive and damage your teeth. Fortunately there are some foods and drinks you can cut from your diet.
As you probably know, soda is high in sugar, and high fructose corn syrup is just a more concentrated form of sugar. This makes high fructose corn syrup worse for your mouth than other sugars. Sadly, sugar-free sodas aren’t any better. The artificial sweeteners in sugar-free soda are actually acids.
Fortunately, there are other drinks that can meet your craving for sweets without putting your teeth at risk. For instance, you could simply try juice, though if you are interested in having a beverage more like a soda, just add seltzer water.
To learn more about what soda can do to your teeth, or about what you can substitute it with, please feel free to contact us at 347-868-6546 soon. Dr. Wynatte Chu and our team are eager to hear from you.
