Dental experts have some surprising news...Tooth erosion is rife. Our teeth are wearing away at a faster rate than ever before and this is because of acids in our mouths that come from what we're drinking and how we're drinking it.
It might shock you to hear that some of the common drinks are almost as corrosive to your teeth as battery acid.
The loss of the protective enamel, the hardest substance of the body, can leave you with a mouth full of teeth that are sensitive, cracked or discolored.
According to consumer adviser for the American Dental Association Dr. Edmond R. Hewlett soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit juices and even teas are to blame - all with high amounts of citric and/or phosphoric acid.
Sugar in these drinks also plays a rather destructive role... when the bacterial plaque on your teeth absorbs the sugar, it excretes an acid that eats away at the tooth enamel
Other things that could contribute to the erosion of tooth enamel include medications like aspirin as well as digestive conditions like acid reflux disease.
Eating disorders associated with constant vomiting that bring gastric acid into the mouth also eats away at the enamel.
Another factor for this erosion may be a lack of mild fluoride, known to strengthen the tooth enamel in our modern diets as many of us choose bottled water over fluoridated public water, and drink more soft drinks, sports drinks, teas and juices in place of water.
If you can't drink mildly fluoridated water, you can try toothpastes and mouth rinses as another way to give your teeth what they need.
You also want to hold off brushing your teeth for about a half hour after drinking any soda or fruit juice.
By brushing right away, you're scrubbing at tooth enamel after its already been softened by the acid attack of the drink, and likely removing a microscopic layer that could have been repaired by the minerals dentists say can be found in your saliva.
"When we're talking about erosion, it's clearly the acid content that's causing it," ADA advisor Hewlett explains.
"In soft drinks, especially in cola soft drinks, one of the main flavoring agents is phosphoric acid. That's the acid we use in dentistry to roughen tooth enamel before applying a bonding agent. We use it like sandpaper."
One study found dental erosion in just about 30% of a group of 900 middle schoolers across the country.
These results seemed to confirm the suspicions so many dentists had that tooth erosion is on the rise in this country.
What's worse, we make things worse for ourselves (and our teeth) by holding the acid rich drinks in our mouth to savor the flavor.
If you're worried about your own teeth, talk to your dentist during your regular cleanings.
This is the best way for you to get a sense of the health of your tooth enamel, and the products you might use to help yourself.
At the very least, drinking fewer acid containing drinks, swill with water after a soda and waiting to brush can help avoid tooth erosion, keeping your teeth strong and healthy.
