Don’t Let Summer Drinks Damage Your Teeth: How To Choose Tooth-Friendly Beverages

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https://www.boldsky.com/health/don-t-let-summer-drinks-damage-your-teeth-how-to-choose-tooth-friendly-beverages-145338.html?story=1

Summer is in full swing. With India experiencing an early and unusually hot summer this year, it's getting tough to hydrate ourselves at all times. Our body temperature rises when the weather outside is too hot. This makes us more susceptible to summertime problems like excessive sweating, sunburns, headaches, drowsiness, heat stroke, and others. To combat the summer heat and its related issues, it's crucial to stay hydrated.

How often do you mindlessly sip to keep yourself hydrated? You forget about the drinks that are bad for you. Dehydration and heat can also make you lethargic for brushing teeth at night . It's about time you realized that many summer drinks, especially the chilled and packed ones you drink to keep your body cool, are bad for your teeth. Sodas, fizzy drinks, canned juices, and energy drinks are a few examples. This is due to their high sugar and acid content. Even if you prefer 100% natural packaged fruit juice, the sugar and flavoring ingredients in the drink can cause dental problems.

Why are these summer drinks bad for your teeth?

Summer drinks for the millennials and Gen Z are all about canned juices, energy boosts, fizzy colas, and sodas. What makes these drinks bad is their sugar and free acid content. Let us dissect how each of these ingredients in your favorite soft drink is bad for your teeth:

Sugar:

Sugar-based beverages, such as sodas, fizzy drinks, canned juices, and energy drinks (as well as sweetened tea and coffee), linger in the mouth longer than sugary foods do. The fluids penetrate the gums and teeth in every nook and cranny. Saliva aids in the process of digestion, which, as we all know, begins in the mouth. The sugars are broken down by the saliva into acids.

Acid:

Fizzy drinks, carbonated drinks, and colas are high in sugar and acids. The acid content is high enough to erode the enamel of your teeth—dental erosion. Acids essentially dissolve enamel, making it porous. The enamel becomes brittle and disintegrates over time, exposing the inner dentin and pulp (the nerves). Teeth that are eroded appear yellow and disfigured. Another important side-effect is tooth decay. The porous and brittle enamel makes it easy for oral bacteria to penetrate the tooth. This results in cavities and tooth infections.

How do you know if the chilled colas are ruining your teeth?

Chilled summer drinks that are high in sugar and fizz can cause a variety of symptoms in the teeth. Do not wait for the problems to worsen and become complicated. Here are a few typical problems that sugary beverages cause:

• Teeth sensitivity

• Teeth yellowing

• Gum problems

• Tooth decay and cavities

• Bad breath and a dry mouth

Here is a list of ways to choose tooth-friendly beverages:

Summer has just begun; you have a long way ahead of you. Choose your hydration well so that you can save yourself from running to the dentist too often. Here are a few ideas from dental experts to guide you better:

1. Substitute sparkling water with coconut water.

Sparkling water (flavored and unflavored) has recently become very popular in India. The fizz and flavor of this water can keep you sipping on it for hours. A lot of the younger generation find it easier to have sparkling water for hydration than the normal filter water. But these should be taken in moderation to avoid the fizz.

If mildly flavored water is your choice, then substituting it with tender coconut water will be a great move. Loaded with essential minerals and vitamins, coconut water is a great summer drink.

1. Opt for fresh fruit juices over the packed ones

You can skip the sugar and preservatives by drinking fresh fruit juices. Be sure to have them in moderation, especially citrus fruit juices (due to their high acid content), and if you are a diabetic (to avoid the fruit sugars). Watermelon juice, musk melon shakes, and aam pannas are ideal.

1. Choose a jaggery lemonade

It is a lemonade variant that is popular in South India and is commonly referred to as Panagam. This cool beverage is stocked with electrolytes to balance body heat. It also contains a ton of minerals, including potassium, magnesium, and iron.

Ingredients include holy basil leaves, cardamom powder, water, lemon, dried ginger, and jaggery. Jaggery is a form of unrefined sugar made from sugarcane or palm. Because it is natural sugar, it will not harm your teeth.

1. Make fresh green smoothies at home

Even though they are available in stores, the packaged versions contain artificial flavors to improve the taste. Make the green smoothie at home with washed and freshly cut spinach, and cumber, and add a few cubes of ice to make it perfect for summer.

1. Iced green teas can boost your caffeine cravings

The popular iced lattes and packed ice teas are quite bad for your teeth. They are high in sugars and acids and can stain your teeth. Green tea benefits are widely known, and what's better than a cup of green tea with ice cubes? Moreover, it contains antioxidants, catechins, and flavonoids which are good for your overall health.

Bottomline

Teeth are valuable; do not waste them on trivial pleasures. Drink plenty of water and beverages that not only cool you but also take care of your overall health. Now that you have a good understanding of how certain summer drinks affect teeth, ensure to avoid them. Make it a habit to thoroughly rinse your mouth after each sip!