{"id":320,"date":"2019-01-30T20:10:12","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T20:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.davidweinmandmd.com\/blog\/?p=320"},"modified":"2019-01-30T20:11:41","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T20:11:41","slug":"the-link-between-energy-drinks-and-oral-health-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidweinmandmd.com\/blog\/the-link-between-energy-drinks-and-oral-health-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"The Link Between Energy Drinks and Oral Health Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When you hit an afternoon slump, you may be tempted to run\nto the vending machine in your office and purchase an energy drink. Or, if\nyou\u2019re an athlete, you might turn to sports drinks to stay hydrated while\nyou\u2019re powering through your daily practice session. While such beverages might\nmake you feel more alert and powerful, consuming them really isn\u2019t wise. In\nfact, energy drinks and oral health in Westfield are inextricably linked \u2014 and\nnot in a good way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Energy and Sports Drinks Bathe Teeth in Acid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but it is far from invincible. When it is exposed to acid for prolonged periods of time, it becomes soft and eventually begins to wear away. Unfortunately, energy and sports drinks are highly acidic. Researchers performed an experiment<\/a> wherein they immersed samples of human tooth enamel in such drinks for 15 minutes, followed by soaking them for four hours in artificial saliva. They repeated the cycle four times for five days in a row. Even after such a short length of time, the tooth enamel had suffered significant damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teenagers and young adults are at an especially high risk of\ndeveloping oral health problems due to energy and sports drinks. Studies\nindicate that between 30 and 50 percent of teenagers consume energy drinks, and\nup to 62 percent of them have at least one sports drink per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not all energy and sports drinks are equally as\ndamaging. In fact, energy drinks can cause twice as much damage as sports\ndrinks. The least harmful energy and sports drinks are ones with low amounts of\nsugar and that are not highly carbonated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protect Your Teeth from Energy and Sports Drinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best way to shield your teeth from energy and sports drinks\nis to avoid such beverages altogether. However, if you do choose to indulge,\nthere are a few things you should do to minimize the impact they have on your\noral health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n