The warm weather is starting to settle in, meaning that summer is not far off. With this warm weather comes the desire to sit out on the patio with friends and indulge in a nice cold beverage. Even though water is something that most of us should be drinking this summer, we are all guilty of indulging in the sweet beverages that make those hot days just a little more bearable.
While those beverages help improve the way that our day is going, they aren’t doing much good for our smiles. The bright colors and high amounts of sugar are capable of doing some serious damage to your pearly whites, which is the last thing any of us want.
In today’s blog, we are going to dive into how sweet drinks affect your teeth. More importantly, we are going to talk about the things that you can do to minimize the chances of damage. Let’s start by covering a few crucial facts that will give you a better idea of why switching out these sugary beverages for a cold glass of water is going to be one of the best choices that you make this summer.
High Amounts of Sugar
The first thing that we really want to touch on are the high amounts of sugar that are found in so many of the beverages in your local grocery store. While soda might be the first sugary drink to come to mind, it’s definitely not the only sweet drink that you need to be concerned about. Even some of the “healthy” juices that we indulge in are loaded with sugar.
An alarming amount of sugar is found in drinks that we consume regularly. An eight-ounce glass of apple juice, for example, contains roughly 26 grams of sugar. Given that this is something that we often hand to our children to enjoy first thing in the morning, it can be a little surprising to see that number. If you think that is a large amount of sugar, you should know that the 12-ounce bottle of Coca Cola has 39 grams of sugar. The reality, however, is that the difference between these two beverages isn’t as significant as many of us would assume.
The Dangers They Pose
The reason that these beverages high in sugar are so dangerous for our teeth is that the sugar breaks down the enamel of your teeth. Beyond that, the sugar sits on your teeth for hours after you’ve consumed them and, with the broken down enamel, your teeth become even more susceptible to cavities and other bacteria.
The damage that we are talking about isn’t something that will happen overnight, and we understand that. That being said, the more frequently that you consume sugary beverages, the quicker you will see your teeth start to deteriorate from the high quantities of sugar. This begins with a weakened and sensitive enamel. Once the enamel has weakened, the sugar that sticks to your teeth is more likely to do severe damage. When sugar builds up and gets stuck between teeth, it can weaken the enamel even more and start to make its way to the gums. This form of damage is something that we’ve all heard of: cavities.
How to Avoid This
Now that you have a general idea of how sugary drinks are capable of hurting your teeth, how do you make sure that this doesn’t happen to you? The best way to avoid damage to your teeth is to manage the number of sugary drinks that you are regularly consuming. Aside from that, adding a straw to your beverage so that it can pass your teeth when you drink it is a fantastic step to make. Most importantly, however, you want to make sure that you are following an oral care routine where you are brushing at least twice a day and using floss to ensure there isn’t any sugar hiding between your teeth.
Book Your Appointment
If you have any questions that you need answered or you are concerned about the state of your smile, contact the team at Century Dental. We are happy to provide the residents of New Jersey with the quality dental care that they need. Browse the list of general and cosmetic dentistry services that we offer, and contact our office to book your appointment.
