Make a smile your signature accessory.
— Anonymous
If you drink sports and energy drinks, you’re not alone. Almost half of teens gulp down energy drinks, while more than six out of 10 chug at least one sports drink every day. That’s a lot of gulping. The problem is, besides sugar, these drinks usually have citric acid. It’s a corrosive combo that can seriously damage your teeth. The good news is you can use a few simple hacks to help keep your teeth looking great. Read on to learn more.
Damage control, water to the rescue
Yes, if you want to keep your teeth in good shape, it’s best to stay away from sugary and acidic sports and energy drinks. But, if you can’t resist and decide to have one, make sure to rinse your mouth with water afterwards. This can help minimize any damage that they can cause to your teeth.
One study tells the corrosive story. For this study, researchers looked at nine popular energy drinks and 13 sports drinks. To each drink, they submerged dental enamel for 15 minutes. Next, they transferred the enamel into artificial saliva where it sat for two hours. This procedure occurred five times each day for a total of five days.
The results are published in the 2022 March-April issue of the Journal of International Society of Preventive and Community Dentistry. Here’s the bottom line: Both types of drinks were bad news for teeth, but energy drinks were doubly so.
Chew gum the right way
Besides avoiding these sugary and acidic drinks or rinsing your mouth out with water after use, another trick to help protect your teeth is by chewing a sugar-free, xylitol-containing gum.
Here’s how:
- Chew enough. Make sure xylitol is listed as the first ingredient. If it’s listed further down the ingredient list or with another sweetener like sorbitol, the gum is unlikely to deliver enough protective xylitol.
- Chew at the right time. Xylitol gum protects against tooth decay when chewed three to five times per day, after meals, for a total daily intake of at least 5 grams of xylitol per day. If you chew gum with about 2 grams after each meal, you’ll hit this target. But don’t overdo it, too much xylitol may cause loose stools.
- Chew long enough. Chew a xylitol-containing gum for about 5 minutes after each meal. This helps release enough xylitol into your saliva to fully deliver its toothy benefits.
Add these hacks to your daily brushing and flossing routine and regular checkups and you’ll be one step closer to a bright and healthy smile.
Now, that’s worth smiling about!
The EatingFor Team
PS – For other helpful tips for teens, check out our book, You’ve Got This: 45 Doable Tips for Teens to Feel Good, Look Good & Succeed.