Dentist: The everyday habit you had no idea was terrible for your teeth
The everyday habit you had no idea about was terrible for your teeth, according to an expert
- Three-quarters of all Britons do not have completely natural teeth
- According to assistant professor Dante Devoti, sipping most drinks is bad for you
Dentists have been begging us for years to stop eating sweets and drinking wine.
But there might be something worse than enjoying the occasional bag of Haribo – and we all do.
So what is it?
Sipping your drink, according to Dr. Dante Devoti, a New York City dentist.
He said, ‘Tooth enamel is the hardest mineralized substance in your body.
Acid is one of the main causes of dental erosion – it breaks down and weakens the hard enamel that covers your teeth
According to Dante, sipping a drink is bad for your teeth, but sipping a sugary fizzy drink is the worst oral health crime you can commit
“But prolonged exposure to acid — especially acidic fluids — can cause teeth to demineralize, erode.”
This makes them more susceptible to cavities, he said.
Dr. Devoti, who works at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine, added, “Drinking one cup of coffee, tea, juice or other beverage in one sitting is better for your teeth than sipping one cup throughout the day.”
Saliva slowly neutralizes the acidity.
But it can take up to an hour to neutralize the pH levels in your mouth to the “protective range,” Dr. Devoti said.
If you regularly sip the same drink, the saliva won’t have time to raise the pH (low numbers indicate more acidic). Seven is neutral.
Similar logic about sipping would apply to alcohol and sports drinks.
But fizzy drinks are the worst, said Dr Devoti.
“Soda is essentially a sugar-acid bath for the teeth,” he added in a piece on his university’s website.
Not only does the sugar lower the pH level, but it’s also a food source for harmful bacteria that “create a cycle of destruction in your teeth.”
Bacteria consume sugars and convert them into acid, further reducing acidity.
Dr. Devoti, assistant professor of dentistry, said: ‘With repeated, long exposures, almost all food and drink can be considered harmful to the teeth.
“Good oral habits go beyond brushing and flossing, recognizing how eating and drinking habits, such as snacking regularly or sipping a drink throughout the day, can have an equally significant impact on the health of our teeth.”
In the UK, about 50 per cent of four to 18 year olds have some dental erosion and about three quarters of all Britons do not have completely natural teeth.
In the US, 46 percent of young adults show signs of dental erosion.