1 “Corrosion “teeth, iced tea, lemon juice, Sprite, apple juice, orange juice is more powerful than cola.
- How to drink less hurt teeth: drink while eating, use a straw, rinse your mouth after drinking, and brush your teeth after half an hour.
Into the summer, the temptation of cold carbonated drinks is increasingly difficult to resist.
Some people have heard that carbonated beverages can corrode the teeth, and even drink “cola teeth Some people have heard that carbonated beverages can corrode teeth and even give rise to “cola teeth”, so they come to me and ask: Is it better to switch to sugar-free ones?
Me: It is much better, but there are still effects, after all, there are so many acids!
How do drinks “corrode “teeth?
With acid, with sugar
Can “erode “teeth drinks, mainly from two aspects of the harm to teeth: the acid in the drink on the surface of the teeth of acid corrosion, destruction, “cola teeth ” is mostly this case; the fermentable sugar in the beverage (carbohydrates that can be broken down into simple sugars like glucose and fructose) spreads to the dental plaque and causes tooth decay by fermenting acid production by oral bacteria. [1]
The damage to teeth is ultimately done by acid, but sugar needs to be fermented by bacteria to produce acid, while the acid in beverages is directly “corrosive the teeth, the medical term is “acid erosion The medical term is “acid erosion”.
Acid What are the drinks that contain “acid”?
Carbonated beverages, fruit juices, wine, and sports drinks are almost always acidic (pH < 4.0) in order to maintain fresh and frothy taste and prevent rapid bacterial growth. When they come in contact with teeth, the pH of the tooth surface drops rapidly, leading to demineralization and softening of tooth enamel. [2][3]
Tooth enamel is the outermost milky translucent “shell” of the tooth ” and is the hardest tissue in the body, protecting the dentin and pulp tissue inside from external stimuli.
Although the enamel is hard, but afraid of acid, afraid of grinding, but also brittle …… If the enamel is damaged, it will lead to dentin sensitivity, pulpitis, and even tooth fracture, bite relationship disorder.
Why is tooth enamel afraid of acid?
The main component of tooth enamel is Hydroxyapatite (abbreviated HA, chemical formula: Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2), which is slightly soluble in water and can break down calcium, phosphate and hydroxyl groups.
And for every unit decrease in pH, the solubility of HA increases about 10 times. pH = 7.0, the solubility of HA is only 30 mg/L, and at pH = 4.0, the solubility of HA increases to 30 g/L.[2]
When you drink acidic beverages such as cola and juice, the pH of the enamel surface becomes acidic, the balance of demineralization and remineralization shifts to demineralization, and the surface hardness of the enamel decreases, meaning it is dissolved and softened by acid ……
Can it be softened and hardened again?
Yes!
Our saliva is the best “pH buffer When the pH rises, the solubility of hydroxyapatite decreases, the tooth enamel is demineralized and remineralized, and the dissolved calcium and phosphate precipitate back, and the hardness is restored.
But if you continue to drink a lot of acidic beverages every day, beyond the buffering capacity of saliva, tooth enamel has been in the demineralization reaction, “cola teeth ” is not far away, and once the enamel is eroded by acid, it can never be restored ……
Who is the real “corrosive acid ” drinks?
Worship “carbonated beverages corrosive teeth “, “cola teeth ” propaganda, everyone seems to think that carbonic acid is the culprit of tooth erosion, and that cola is the most tooth-eroding drink.
This is not the case.
The pH of acid is low enough to work
Generally speaking pH 5.5 is a critical value for the demineralization of tooth enamel, below which the enamel will go towards demineralization.
Carbonated beverages (sodas) are beverages filled with carbon dioxide under certain conditions (excluding beverages that produce their own carbon dioxide by the fermentation method). [7]
Carbonic acid is a weak acid, and the pH of a saturated solution of carbon dioxide at room temperature and pressure is 5.6, which is still slightly above the critical value for enamel demineralization. Considering further that carbonic acid is unstable, its pH will further increase if it decomposes into carbon dioxide and water. Therefore, it can hardly play a role in the process of acid etching of tooth enamel.
Phosphoric acid and citric acid are the culprits
Phosphoric acid and citric acid are different. These two acids are relatively stable and acidic, and they are the two most commonly used dietary acids in beverages, and the pH of beverages with these two acids added can be as low as about 2. [4]
Therefore, phosphoric acid and citric acid are the real “corrosive acids “! [3][5][6]
The reason that citric acid is more likely to dissolve tooth enamel than other acids is that, in addition to its acidic effect, citric acid also combines with calcium to form complex calcium citrate, and up to 32% of the calcium in saliva can be bound by citrate, thus reducing the saturation of calcium in saliva and increasing the corrosive force on tooth enamel. [3]
Low calcium and phosphorus content, beverage “corrosive power “strong
The “corrosive power” of acidic beverages ” does not depend entirely on pH; the amount of calcium and phosphate in the beverage is also an important influencing factor.
Although the pH threshold for enamel demineralization is generally 5.5, in fact, people with low calcium and phosphate content in saliva may already start to demineralize their enamel at pH 6.5, and people with high calcium and phosphate content in saliva may not start to demineralize their enamel until pH 5.1.
The same is true for beverages.
It has been shown that adding calcium to low pH blackcurrant juice, orange juice and sports drinks can reduce the corrosive effect of the drink on tooth enamel. Yogurt has a pH of 4.0, but because it is rich in calcium and phosphate, it hardly has any erosive effect on tooth enamel.
Therefore, acidic beverages with less calcium and phosphate content will also be more corrosive to teeth.
However, even if the phosphate content is increased to avoid erosion of teeth when drinking, if too much phosphorus is consumed, it will still affect the absorption of calcium and the utilization of minerals such as iron, manganese and zinc, which will eventually affect dental health.
Coke is actually not “corrosive acid “The king of drinks
Although the news are drinking cola drink “cola teeth “, but both Chinese and foreign tests have found that in the matter of “corrosive “teeth” thing, Coke is not what the king.
Domestic tests, acidic drinks pH close to (2.36-3.31), calcium and phosphorus content are the lowest iced tea is the real “corrosion of teeth The devil of “tooth corrosion”, followed by Sprite, Coca-Cola and Pepsi to the bottom ……[1]
Coffee and tea: an alternative tooth decay offensive
Coffee and tea, if no additional acidic ingredients are added, are usually weakly acidic beverages. Coffee may even become weakly alkaline because of the difference in roasting degree, and the mere discussion of pH is not enough to promote enamel demineralization.
However, coffee contains a lot of tannins, which can be rather “astringent ” and may even increase tooth wear. Coffee and tea also contain caffeine, which will reduce saliva secretion, thus reducing the effect of saliva against demineralization.
Therefore their effect on tooth decay is still controversial.
Can I still drink beverages?
Plain water is of course the healthiest drink.
If you want to drink something sweet, there are relatively healthy alternatives, such as soda water flavored only with sugar substitute, water, carbon dioxide and sodium bicarbonate (adding sodium bicarbonate obviously makes it alkaline).
If you really want to drink carbonated beverages from Fat House Happy Water, here are a few ways to make it healthier.
Time
Drink while eating, the saliva secreted can raise the pH of the mouth as soon as possible.
How
Drink with a straw to reduce the contact between acidic drinks and teeth.
Clean
Rinse your mouth as soon as possible after drinking to reduce the contact between the acid and sugar in the drink and your teeth.
Brush your teeth after half an hour to avoid increasing the wear and tear on your teeth when the enamel is softening.
Recent Comments