What’s Eating Your Teeth?

Most people, as kids, have dropped a penny into their Coca-Cola and wondered at the result – a pristine penny, suggesting the corrosive action of Coke.  Then, as parents, we’ve warned our own kids – “Coca-Cola will rot your teeth – just look what it does to a penny!”

Well, it’s not as bad as it could be. A new study from the University of Maryland has shown that popular sports drinks cause more irreversible damage to teeth than Coca-Cola and other sodas.  They looked at the results of Snapple, Gatorade, Red Bull, Fanta Orange, and Nestea sweetened tea (amongst others) after two weeks’ exposure to healthy molars.  All of them produced more erosion of tooth enamel than Coca-Cola – Snapple about 10 times, Gatorade about 7 times more.

You can read about it at the Academy of General Dentistry website.   And remember to use a straw if you must drink these sports beverages!