What Are the Worst Drinks for Your Teeth?

It’s a common practice many of us do — sipping on our coffee or energy drink slowly throughout the morning, or even the entire day. But what we might not realize while we’re enjoying our sugar-filled beverage all day long is the damage it is doing to our teeth. Although it is a difficult habit to break, doing so can go a long way toward preventing cavities and improving oral health.

Here are some of the worst drinks for your teeth, as well as the helpful tips we share with patients in our Midlothian, VA dental office to help them (and you) avoid tooth decay!

Energy Drinks Have A Sugary Downside

Energy drinks are one of the worst drinks for your teeth. They’re typically high in sugar, and are sometimes consumed for an extended period of time. The rate of consumption impacts how negatively an energy drink will damage your teeth, as the longer the sugar sits on your teeth (the longer it takes you to drink it), the longer the sugar has to begin causing tooth decay.

That’s why drinking an energy drink filled with sugar over a period of a few hours can lead to cavities. However, downing a sugar-free Red Bull in 20 minutes won’t have as much of a negative impact. There’s a big difference between getting an energy drink once a day, drinking it quickly, rinsing your mouth out immediately, and drinking a 32oz Monster and taking three hours to consume it. 

What About Sugar-Free Energy Drinks? 

From a health perspective, sugar-free energy drinks probably aren’t great to consume frequently. However, from a dental perspective, they will do less damage than a regular energy drink loaded with sugar. It’s important to know that, despite the reduced sugar, energy drinks are also highly acidic. So, while the chance for cavities might be lower, the high acidity can cause acid erosion of the teeth. 

“Every time you take a sip of an acidic or sugary drink, your teeth get coated with that acid or sugar,” explains Dr. Chris Wolberg of Cedarwood Dentistry. “When that happens, your saliva, which is a protective barrier, doesn’t have a chance to protect your teeth and do its job. So that acid and sugar eat away at the enamel and cause cavities.”

Coffee & Tea Don’t Harm Teeth As Much As Energy Drinks

Plain black coffee and tea are both fine, as long as they don’t have sugared creamer or products in them. Drinking black coffee all day long or with a little bit of half-and-half usually isn’t an issue with cavity production. But once you start adding sugar to the equation, it’s a different story. Drinking coffee with International Delight or a similar sugar-filled creamer for a consistent period of time is terrible for your teeth, causing cavities and tooth decay. 

Switching to a sugar-free creamer or half-and-half can help reduce the chances of getting cavities. Try reserving sweet creamers for special occasions rather than using them throughout the day. While half-and-half and dairy products still have some sugar from the lactose, dairy doesn’t cause tooth decay as much as sugar in glucose or cane sugar typically found in flavored creamers. 

While coffee and tea are acidic, which can also cause tooth decay and discoloration, drinking them black is not as harmful to your teeth as sugar. We recommend sipping water throughout the day to ensure you rinse off any sugar or acid from your teeth to maintain a brighter smile. For people with stained teeth from drinking coffee or red wine, Cedarwood Dentistry offers teeth whitening services, which also aid in cavity prevention.

Alcohol Alone Won’t Impact Your Teeth, But Watch Out For Mixers

Alcohol such as liquor, beer, or wine is already fermented. Because the majority of the carbohydrates in alcohol have already been fermented and eaten up by the yeast, bacteria don’t have a lot to eat from alcohol. That said, alcohol isn’t usually a cavity producer. 

However, mixed drinks with a lot of sugar can negatively impact dental health. Frequently drinking alcohol with high sugar levels can eventually lead to tooth decay. Alcohol is also acidic, which can eventually wear out the enamel on teeth. 

Soda & Juice Are Especially Tough on Kids’ Teeth

Soda and juice are two of the worst drinks for your teeth because of their high sugar content. They’re essentially like eating a dessert because they’re so sweet. Juice can also have a widespread negative effect on kids’ teeth, especially for kids that drink juice all day long.

When children drink lots of juice, it generally hits the front of their teeth, and for young kids whose baby teeth are more susceptible to decay, this can quickly create cavities on their smile line. Try limiting the amount of juice given to children. Diluting juice with water can reduce its harmful effects but we recommend cutting it out entirely if possible. 

Gatorade, Bodyarmor, & Protein Drinks Can Cause Cavities

Sports drinks marketed toward children and teenagers, such as Gatorade and Bodyarmor, are packed full of sugar. While there are sugar-free options, they still have a high level of acidity. Protein drinks are another beverage that usually has more sugar than you might think. Because these drinks tend to be consumed over more extended periods of time, it leads to a greater chance of developing cavities. 

Seltzer Water: A Good Alternative To Reduce Sugar (and Cavities)

If you don’t like drinking water all day long, seltzer waters are a good alternative to sugary drinks. Most seltzer waters are usually fine, although they might be slightly acidic. Some seltzer waters are mixed with juice, but usually a low percentage. Because most seltzer waters are sugar-free, they won’t cause cavities like soda, energy drinks, or Gatorade. 

Why Is It Better to Drink Sugary Drinks All At Once? 

If you are going to indulge in a sugary beverage, it’s better to drink it all at once than throughout the day. Why is this? Because of the critical pH of your oral environment. The critical pH is the pH at which your enamel starts to demineralize. It can also be compared to the amount of sugar in the actual environment as well. 

When you drink a beverage all at once, the pH goes way down, and the sugar level goes way up all at once. So then the sugar starts to slowly come down, and the pH begins to slowly come back up to a more neutral level. This is because your saliva and the body starts buffering that saliva. The sugars are washed away, and your body starts to process them. The pH gets washed away and neutralized by the saliva.

But when you sip a sugary drink throughout the day, the critical pH fluctuates, going up and down. Every time you take a sip, it will go below the critical pH of 5.5 multiple times, making the environment ripe for tooth decay. That’s why it’s better to drink a sugary beverage all at once rather than over a long period of time.

Tips to Avoid Tooth Decay from Sugary Drinks 

• Drink sugary beverages within 20 minutes 
• Drink them with a meal, as it helps produce saliva and enzymes that break down sugars in the mouth 
• Cut back on the number of sugary drinks 
• Find healthier, sugar-free alternatives
• Rinse your mouth out with water or a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda and water) rinse after 

Trust Cedarwood Dentistry with Your Oral Health

At Cedarwood Dentistry, we focus on creating positive and personalized experiences for our patients. As a family practice, we help families navigate dental health from infancy through adolescents and beyond. We also offer cosmetic dentistry services for teens since we know that having a smile you’re proud of positively impacts your emotional and overall health. Contact us today to talk to a friendly dental expert or book an appointment to be on your way to a brighter smile!

At Cedarwood Dentistry, we cultivate dental health through personalized care. We offer a variety of dental services, including family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and emergency care in Midlothian, Virginia. Whether you last visited the dentist six months or six years ago, we can help bring your smile to life. Schedule your dentist appointment today by calling 804-379-9375.

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