BLOG #49 DRINKING SODA DOES WHAT TO MY TEETH?

When I was young and growing up, I loved to have one of those cokes in a bottle. I loved the fizz and the burn that came with the fizz. I even remember in high school that we would go on a coke date. That was a cheap and fun way to go on a date and get to know the other person. When I went to college it changed somewhat-I had coke and bourbon. Then I went to dental school and they had a different opinion. Coke was poison because it had sugar. At first, I didn’t understand because I had only had two fillings in my life. I think that was mainly because we seldom or never had sugar at home and my parents insisted that I brush and floss. In todays, world I probably haven’t had a coke in 20-25 years. Why you might ask?

Whether you call it “COKE”, “SOFT DRINK”, “COLA” OR JUST “POP”, your teeth think its all the same. They all contain carbonated water (it is really full of carbonic acid). And guess what most of the ones we like contain about 10 grams of sugar!! In the 1950’s (when I was drinking coke) the average American consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year. The average cave man consumed no sugar but maybe occasionally some honey or fruit. In todays world the average American consumes about 200 POUNDS OF SUGAR PER YEAR! The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day. So about 2/3’s of one can of cola is your limit per day not counting all of the other foods that contain sugar. I read that 68% of all packaged foods contain sugar. A 2017 survey that I read indicated that 28% of Americans drank more than one cola per day every day!

Most sugar soft drinks start affecting the body and your teeth within a few seconds of consumption. When you take a sip of any sugar drink the bacteria in your mouth start to release acid immediately and for the next 30 minutes from just one sip. So if you sip on one cola all day, then you have acid all day. I promise you will have lots of cavities. Sugar free versions are equally detrimental because they already have high concentrations of citric acid, carbonic acid and phosphoric acid. You know that phosphoric acid is used in industrial settings to strip metal! So, imagine what it is doing to your teeth. This is a patient of mine that was drinking about 5 cans of sparkling water per day and this happened over a 2-3 year period.

So, if you insist on drinking COLA anyway, what can you do prevent the damage?

1. It is better to chug down a whole can of cola all at once rather than sip on one for several hours.

2. Sip your soda through a straw as this has less contact with your teeth, which means less acid on the teeth.

3. Don’t let the soda pool in your mouth-swallow it asap.

4. Rinse your mouth with water immediately after drinking cola as this will wash down and dilute the sugar.

5. Make sure that you are using a toothpaste with Fluoride as this chemical hardens the enamel and makes it more resistant to the acid.

6. After rinsing your mouth thoroughly with water, brush your teeth.

7. Since one can of Cola puts you over your daily limit, try hard to not have ANY other sugar for the rest of the day.

As you already know, SUGAR can contribute to obesity, gum disease, cavities, diabetes, cancer and inflammation.

Gum disease is now considered as a comorbidity in Covid-19! The problem is that sugar is in almost everything that is in a can or a package, but they hid it by calling it Dextrose, Fructose or corn syrup. I found Dextrose the other day as an ingredient in Morton’s salt!! Are you kidding? Sugar in Salt! Please read the labels and try to stick with 6 teaspoons per day or less! It is hard to do!

SUMMARY-As you can see there are several things in life that if you made a change, you would see a big improvement in your health and life. My scientific mind has boiled it down to basics. Don’t smoke, follow preventive dentistry (brush, floss and see your dentist), follow the paleo diet, don’t get sunburned and do aerobic exercise for 30 minutes 5 times per week! Meanwhile, avoid COLA AND SPARKLING WATER.

RANT AND RAVE-I get SO MAD when I see people just gorge themselves every day with sugar. 6 Teaspoons is all you are allowed PER THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. I SUGGEST LESS. Read the labels and cut back or eliminate sugar. Just try it for 1 month! If you just have to have some sugar, try replacing it with organic honey. Honey is still considered a sugar, but it is NOT TABLE SUGAR and it does at least have some nutrients. I personally put a teaspoon of honey in my coffee.

“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2021 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Spiker Davis D.D.S. spiker@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S.

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