According to a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, energy drink consumption has increased significantly among adolescents, young adults, and middle-aged people over the last decade.
Experts claim that this is due to a widely held misconception that energy drinks pose a lesser threat to your oral health than sports drinks and other sugary beverages.
However, this is not necessarily true. In this blog, we will explain exactly how energy drinks can impact your oral health.
Why Are Energy Drinks Bad For Your Teeth?
Energy drinks are loaded with sugar and have low pH levels.
A low pH value means that the drink is highly acidic. When this combination comes into contact with the natural bacteria in your mouth, the resulting acids slowly attack and dissolve the enamel, leaving your teeth vulnerable to sensitivity and decay.
In addition, energy drinks considerably reduce the pH levels in your saliva.
According to Dr. Poonam Jain, a faculty at A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health, your saliva has a pH value of around 7 under normal conditions. However, after taking a single sip of an energy drink, this value drops down to 2.
Because your body requires at least a half-hour to rebalance your pH to normal levels, this can pose a problem. By the time you finish a can, and your body manages to normalize the pH level in your mouth, your teeth will already have been under the attack of harmful acid for some time.
What Do Dentists Say?
Dentists recommend that you stay away from energy drinks altogether or consume them very rarely. This is because sugary beverages are one of the leading causes of tooth decay in adults.
In addition, dentists assert that the hyperactive energy produced by energy drinks can also lead to people grinding their teeth more often, thus causing tooth breakage and even tooth loss.
To sum up, energy drinks stay true to their promise and give you a burst of energy every time you take a few swigs. However, their short-term effects come at the cost of long-term damage to your teeth.
At Focus Dental Group, our main goal is to help you maintain your dental health and your smile. If you want to know more about what can hurt your teeth other than energy drinks or have any dental concerns, do not hesitate to contact us at (801) 255-7101, schedule an online consultation, or visit us at 6770 S 900 E Suite 301, Midvale, UT 84047.