Are we dissolving our teeth away with healthy drinks?

Erosion is an increasingly difficult problem for dentists and patients. This is where tooth material dissolves when acidic foods and drinks are consumed. (not decay!)

You may have seen recent news stories which have identified these problems. Acidic drinks, ie. all fruit juices, fizzy drinks and alcoholic drinks are acidic and will remove a small amount of tooth material from the outer surface every time they are drank.

A recent article has also proved that fruit smoothies can be as bad or even worse than pure orange juice. (Dental update, Nov 2011, Vol 38, No 9, p604)

Our best advice to avoid damage or at least reduce problems is to:

• Decrease consumption of these foods and drinks
• Consume acidic foods and drinks with meals and not as snacks.
• Drink acidic drinks through disposable straws
• Do not brush your teeth directly after consumption of acidic foods and drinks

If you are concerned about erosion, please feel free to ask your dentist.