How Your Drinks Affect Your Teeth
What you sip all day matters as much as what you eat. Here is how common drinks affect enamel and which ones are kindest to your teeth.
We pay a lot of attention to what we eat, but what we drink throughout the day can have just as much effect on our teeth. Because drinks wash over every surface, and because many of us sip slowly for hours, the right and wrong choices add up quickly.
Sugar, Bacteria, and Acid
Bacteria in plaque feed on sugar and produce acid. That acid softens enamel and, over time, leads to cavities. Many drinks are also acidic on their own, so they wear enamel down even without sugar. Sipping one slowly keeps your teeth bathed in acid far longer than finishing it with a meal.
Drinks to Limit
- Soda, regular or diet, is both acidic and, in many cases, high in sugar
- Sports and energy drinks are often more acidic than people expect
- Fruit juice contains natural sugars and acids, even when it is 100% juice
- Coffee and black tea stain enamel, especially with added sugar
- Wine, red and white, is acidic, and red wine stains as well
Drinks That Support Healthy Teeth
- Water, especially fluoridated tap water, rinses away food and acid and supports saliva
- Milk provides calcium and phosphate and helps neutralize acid
- Unsweetened green and herbal teas are low in acid and sugar
Simple Habits That Help
- Enjoy acidic or sugary drinks with meals rather than sipping all day
- Use a straw for iced drinks to reduce contact with front teeth
- Rinse with water afterward
- Wait about 30 minutes before brushing after an acidic drink so softened enamel can recover
Regular checkups and cleanings let us spot early enamel wear. See our preventive care page for more.