We have always been told that soda is bad for your teeth. You may be wondering why exactly is it so bad. Well, a dental cavity is caused by 3 things. Tooth structure, bacteria (primarily strep mutans) and carbohydrate/ sugar. The sugar in the soda feeds the bacteria, which produce an acid, which in turn breaks down the tooth structure, and a cavity is formed. This process continues for 20 minutes after the exposure (sip of soda) until saliva can buffer your mouth back to neutral. Logically, one would think that diet soda would be safe since it does not have sugar. While this thinking is partially correct, diet soda is still bad for the teeth because the “fizz” of soda contains carbonic acid, thus even diet soda is bathing the teeth in acid, which weakens the enamel allowing for the bacteria to penetrate the tooth structure and create a cavity.
Many of today’s popular energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster etc. have not only sugar but also are very acidic (low pH) and thus bath the teeth in an even stronger “acid bath” than soda. Even many of the most popular Gatorade flavors such as lemon lime and orange are acidic. The stronger the acid, the more rapid the tooth structure is weakened. I am not suggesting that you avoid soda, energy drinks or Gatorade, but ALWAYS rinse your mouth with water afterwards. If the drinks get the best of your teeth, you can always make a dental appointment to get those cavities filled in the most painless environment.