Soft Drinks for Your Teeth Health The Good, Bad, and Ugly.

The average American is estimated to drink nearly 600 cans of soda per year. Studies have shown that soft drinks are a causing factor in adults and children’s tooth decay. The problem with soda regarding dental health is that many sodas contain acids and sugars that could erode tooth enamel over time. Even diet sodas contain phosphoric or citric acid and still cause dental erosion — though considerably less than their sugared counterparts. According to researchers from the University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School, drinks that are incredibly aggressive to eroding tooth enamel are light-colored soda (such as Sprite and Mountain Dew) and canned iced tea (such as Arizona Iced Tea). If you like soda, root beer products did the least damage. Other safer drinks for teeth would be water, brewed black tea, and black coffee. All showed minimal tooth enamel damage. Another helpful tip to soft drink drinkers would be to drink soda out of a straw which will help to reduce soda’s contact with your teeth.