How Sports and Energy Drinks are Affecting Your Boise Dental Health

Nowadays, drinking energy and sports drinks are a normal part of today’s society. Quite noticeably they have become increasingly popular, especially among the younger generation. However, did you know these drinks can be especially damaging to your Boise dental health?

The reason being is that both energy and sports drinks contain high amounts of sugar and are highly acidic. Consuming foods and liquids with high acidity levels wears away tooth enamel. This makes teeth more susceptible to cavities, tooth discoloration, and sensitivity. This in turn can result in expensive Boise dental repairs down the road.

In fact, when compared to other soda products like Coke, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew, they all share the same destructive effects. The combination of acid and sugar all these beverages contain, makes your teeth especially susceptible to decay.

If you are a regular drinker of sports and energy drinks, below are some Boise dental tips to help minimize the damage these beverages can cause:

1. Regularly drink and rinse your mouth with water. Even chewing some sugar-free gum can help to rebalance the pH level in your mouth in an effort to counteract the acid. Another helpful Boise dental tip? Don’t brush your teeth for a little while after drinking an energy drink. The reason being is that your enamel may be softened and brushing your teeth can actually damage them even more.
2. Sports drinks should be consumed before you get dehydrated, not after. Being dehydrated minimizes the saliva you need to produce to protect your teeth.
3. Try not to sip and take your time drinking either beverage in an effort to limit the exposure of sugar, and acidic to your teeth and gums.
4. Try sticking to healthier options. Water is the best option when it comes boosting energy levels and re-hydrating.

Creative Commons Image Courtesy of Ibrahim Asad’s Photography