Research revealed that sports drinks cause permanent damage to the teeth. This is because energy drinks have high levels of acidity that tend to erode the teeth. Knowing this, the habit of consuming these power drinks is alarmingly prevalent in adults. This is probably because there is a prevalent misconception that these types of drinks increase stamina or improve performance, especially in sports or during work. Aside from that, people tend to consume more because they substitute it for soda – presumably due to their delectable tastes. People are unaware of the fact that they are unknowingly drowning their teeth in harmful acids that may not be fixed by oral surgery instruments.
Research was conducted to determine the acidity levels of sports and energy drinks. They submerged human tooth samples to such beverages for 15 minutes then immersed the samples in artificial saliva for 2 hours. This process was repeated 4 times daily for 5 days. This is said to be a simulation of how frequent young adults are consuming energy drinks and, in effect, bathing their teeth to damaging acids.
It was reported that the enamel was damaged after five days of being subjected to these highly acidic drinks. It was also observed that energy drinks proved to be more destructive than sports drinks. Energy drinks is concluded to be twice harmful to human teeth.
With this knowledge based from the above findings with regards to oral health, it is important to educate American citizens regarding the dental disadvantage of these types of drinks. According to reports, 30 to 50% of American teenagers are known to habitually consume energy drinks while 62% quench their thirst with sports drink daily. They should be informed that any damage to the tooth enamel becomes permanent and, therefore, forever irreversible. Once the enamel gets damaged, the tooth becomes extremely susceptible to various dental conditions that may prove problematic in the future like sensitive teeth, cavities and tooth decay. This damage is permanent that even the best oral surgery instruments will not be able to fix it.
Teenagers would come to the dentist's office with these oral conditions and not know what's causing it. The dental professionals would then examine the patient's snack habits and discover the intake of these sports beverages. Patients would be surprised to know that these sports drinks, which are seemingly harmless, have such extreme and adverse effects on their teeth.
In response to such, dentists are finding ways to combat the harmful effects of these highly acidic drinks. First off, they recommend that people lessen their consumption of sports or energy beverages. People should treat these drinks more like the energy giving supplement that they are originally designed for and only drink them before a heavy activity and not treat it like common soda. It is also good to follow up some habits after drinking such beverage. Examples of these habits are rinsing the mouth using water or eating sugar-free gum or help to get rid of the acids and increase saliva flow. An increase in the saliva flow usually helps to get the mouth's acidity levels back to normal. It is also suggested to brush the teeth an hour after consumption of sports drinks because brushing right away may help to spread the acid throughout the mouth.
Research was conducted to determine the acidity levels of sports and energy drinks. They submerged human tooth samples to such beverages for 15 minutes then immersed the samples in artificial saliva for 2 hours. This process was repeated 4 times daily for 5 days. This is said to be a simulation of how frequent young adults are consuming energy drinks and, in effect, bathing their teeth to damaging acids.
It was reported that the enamel was damaged after five days of being subjected to these highly acidic drinks. It was also observed that energy drinks proved to be more destructive than sports drinks. Energy drinks is concluded to be twice harmful to human teeth.
Teenagers would come to the dentist's office with these oral conditions and not know what's causing it. The dental professionals would then examine the patient's snack habits and discover the intake of these sports beverages. Patients would be surprised to know that these sports drinks, which are seemingly harmless, have such extreme and adverse effects on their teeth.
In response to such, dentists are finding ways to combat the harmful effects of these highly acidic drinks. First off, they recommend that people lessen their consumption of sports or energy beverages. People should treat these drinks more like the energy giving supplement that they are originally designed for and only drink them before a heavy activity and not treat it like common soda. It is also good to follow up some habits after drinking such beverage. Examples of these habits are rinsing the mouth using water or eating sugar-free gum or help to get rid of the acids and increase saliva flow. An increase in the saliva flow usually helps to get the mouth's acidity levels back to normal. It is also suggested to brush the teeth an hour after consumption of sports drinks because brushing right away may help to spread the acid throughout the mouth.
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