Damages Enamel

Sodas are extremely high in sugar, and don’t let the label fool you—high fructose corn syrup is just another form of it! In fact, this sugar is even more damaging to the body than regular sugar, as its sweetness is so concentrated that it throws off the way your body produces insulin. This sugar turns acidic in your mouth and can wear down tooth enamel over time. And yes, even diet sodas that don’t contain any sugar at all are just as damaging—the artificial sweeteners are acids in themselves. Kids are particularly at risk because their enamel is not yet fully formed.

Causes Cavities

The enamel plays a big role in the protection of your teeth, so when it begins to erode away, problems can arise, and cavities are more likely to happen. Once the enamel is damaged, it’s much easier for the sugar in soda to damage your teeth, and there’s plenty of that sugar to go around even in just one soda drink. This means that bacteria are given more of a free passage into your teeth, and not only can this free passage cause cavities, but it could also lead to tooth decay and gum inflammation. Your teeth may eventually, as your dentist and parents may have warned you, have to come out.

Tooth Sensitivity

Another negative side effect of enamel getting worn off is that tooth sensitivity will increase. Your enamel protects the soft tissues of your tooth such as the nerves, but when the enamel is damaged, you’ll be more sensitive to hot and cold. The less enamel you have, the more sensitive you’re likely to be. Tooth sensitivity can hinder you from eating ice-cold drinks, ice cream, hot tea, or hot meals, and can be extremely painful. In addition to tooth sensitivity, your teeth are also more likely to be stained from your lack of enamel, appearing yellow, discolored, or translucent.

Increased Plaque

Brushing and flossing can help you manage your plaque, which, if built up over time, can cause tooth decay. But what happens when you’re drinking soda every day and not rinsing or brushing afterwards?

The acids (specifically phosphoric acid) and sugars in soda can cause damage within minutes of drinking it, not to mention all that sugar just sits on your teeth and increases your plaque. If you’re not brushing properly or brushing too hard, chances are that plaque is accumulating in places on your teeth and will eventually cause cavities, tooth decay, gingivitis, or periodontal disease.

Soda may taste good, but when you consider its harmful effects on your smile (not to mention your body), you may consider picking up another drink next time you’re thirsty. Seltzer water mixed with fruit juice, herbal sodas, or kombucha are all great healthy alternatives!

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You May Be Brushing too Hard

Let’s set the record straight— harder brushing does not equal better brushing. In fact, harder brushing can do much more damage than good. Hard brushing over time can actually wear down the enamel (the protective hard white part) of your tooth over time, therefore leading your tooth to be largely unprotected in the face of cold iced tea or hot spicy curry. After the enamel gets worn down, it exposes dentin, a soft substance that helps sustain the tooth. The dentin is linked directly to the nerve of your
tooth, and here is where your sensitivity happens. Hard brushing is also bad news for your gums—it can cause gum recession, further exposing the dentin. Proper brushing involves gentler brush strokes.

You May be Grinding Your Teeth

People who grind their teeth are generally not aware of the fact that they are doing it. It can happen in our sleep, when we’re blissfully unaware of the grinding taking place. The ligaments that connect the tooth to your jaw can get inflamed when you grind, as you are putting an excessive amount of force on your jaw. Your nerve then gets aggravated and makes your mouth more affected by extreme temperatures. Clenching and grinding your teeth is not healthy, and you may not even be aware that you’re doing it. Seeing your dentist can help to determine if you’re a grinder and if so, what you can do about it. Your tooth sensitivity may be a result of a clenched or grinding action that can be bad news for your whole mouth!

You May Have Tooth Decay or Gum Disease

Tooth sensitivity can affect one tooth or several—regardless of how extreme your tooth sensitivity is, it could be pointing at a larger issue. Tooth sensitivity may be the result of tooth decay or gum disease. If these problems go untreated while you’re buying sensitive toothpastes and overlooking the issue, your problem could get a lot worse without you even knowing it. The longer you wait to address your sensitivity, the more costly the solution could be. Visit your dentist to find out if you may be experiencing symptoms of gum disease or tooth decay.

Don’t just accept your sensitivity as part of your mouth health—a healthy mouth should not be painful. Instead of buying products that only mask the issue, visit your dentist to make sure your mouth is healthy. Your tooth sensitivity may be trying to tell you that you’re brushing too hard, grinding your teeth, or have a more serious issue such as tooth decay or gum disease going on.

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Quality Matters, Not Quantity

You can brush your teeth as many times as you want, but you may still be missing important areas in your mouth. If you never learned how to brush your teeth properly, now’s the time to start: a full two minutes of brushing is suggested. How long do you
brush for? Also, loading your toothbrush up with toothpaste and swishing it around in there won’t get you anywhere if you don’t have the proper technique. Correct brushing of the teeth involves choosing a brush with softer bristles—it doesn’t take much pressure to get the plaque off, and brushing too hard can cause more damage than benefits. Properly cleaning your teeth also involves cleaning the backs of your front teeth, where plaque can build up unknowingly if you aren’t brushing there.

What’s Your Diet Like?

Highly acidic foods like sugar, fruit juices, soda, and yes, even diet soda can damage your tooth enamel. If you don’t eat a lot of these types of foods and are packing on the veggies, great for you! If, however, you sneak in some sweets a few times a day—you may want to brush more than you think you should. Especially when consuming added sugar: when it sits on your teeth, it turns acidic and can wear down tooth enamel, eventually causing cavities and other problems. If you aren’t able to brush after
consuming sweets, at least rinse your mouth with water so that the sugar doesn’t have a chance to turn acidic on your teeth. It’s best to avoid foods with added sugar when it comes to your dental health.

You’re Still Missing That Plaque-Hardening Window

While plaque can generally form pretty quickly in your mouth—depending on certain factors such as genes, overall health, the amount of saliva in your mouth, and your diet—it still takes a bit for it to harden, usually 24-48 hours. If you’re brushing your teeth once a day and doing it correctly, as well as flossing to get those areas you can’t reach, this could be enough to keep the plaque at bay while still keeping your mouth on track with dental health. But, is it enough to keep your significant other from leaving? Bacteria in the mouth can cause bad breath, and, without brushing, can cause some unpleasant odor.

Brushing once a day is enough to keep plaque from doing damage in your mouth, but it may not be enough if you eat a lot of sweets, want to have fresh breath after coffee, and are a stickler for your overall dental health. By using proper brushing techniques, staying away from added sugars, and making sure you do brush at least once a day, you can keep you and your dentist happy with your mouth!

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