Flavored waters and other acidic beverages may affect dental health. In fact, a recent study showed that 100% of the beverages purchased in grocery store (there were 379 different beverages purchased!) caused moderate to severe erosion of the teeth, since all of the beverages were acidic, meaning that they all had a low pH. Thus, a beverage’s pH is the main determinant of its potential to erode teeth; the lower the pH, the more acidic a drink is, and the more harmful. Frequent consumption of acidic beverages is dangerous to our teeth. The problem is drinking these beverages instead of drinking plain water as our main hydration.” I recommend minimizing the time acidic beverages are in contact with teeth if you just must drink these low pH beverages, and drinking plain fluoridated water throughout the day. Additionally, it’s a smart move to rinse your mouth with water after drinking these beverages and limit the time you drink them to 30 minutes or less. If you are having tooth sensitivity, use a prescription toothpaste to help reduce the damage to the teeth and help desensitize them. Of course, if you keep on using acidic drinks, you will keep on having problems.
