By this point, you probably know that drinking sugary beverages like soda and fruit juice doesn’t do wonders for your teeth.
But new research has revealed that these sugar-laden beverages are causing more damage to our teeth than previously thought.
According to an August 14 International Business Times article, a recent study from the Craniofacial Biology Research Group at Australia’s University of Adelaide found that drinks with high levels of sugar and acid are responsible for immediate and permanent tooth decay.
“Our research has shown that permanent damage to the tooth enamel will occur within the first 30 seconds of high acidity coming into contact with the teeth. This is an important finding and it suggests that such drinks are best avoided,” Dr. Sarbin Ranjitkar, the study’s corresponding author, wrote in a release. “If high acidity drinks are consumed, it is not simply a matter of having a child clean their teeth an hour or 30 minutes later and hoping they’ll be OK — the damage is already done.”
The news comes as little surprise — as tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the world, and almost 100% of adults have had a cavity at some point in their life. If left untreated, tooth decay can cause tooth loss, which requires costly dental implant surgery to fix.
Sugary drinks, especially soda, are responsible for tooth discoloration, as well, which prompts Americans to spend millions on teeth whitening strips and kits each year. Typically, a professional teeth whitening session with a cosmetic dentist is the most effective way to reverse tooth discoloration.
What do you think about this news? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
