Nothing beats drinking a cold soda after playing under the sun for the entire day. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see kids holding cans of soda while staying outside. But did you know that soda can ruin your kid’s teeth?
Sodas can be an excellent thirst-quencher but drinking it from morning to night can do your kids more harm than good. Experts say that soda consumption has negative effects on a person’s smile, in addition to adding a source of empty calories and processed sugars to their diets. But what exactly does drinking soda do to a person’s teeth?
How soda affects your child’s teeth
Whenever you drink soda, the sugar in it interacts with the bacteria living in your mouth. Once that happens, the bacteria form acid that attacks the enamel of your teeth. Both sugar-free and regular soda have unique acids that attack the teeth’s enamel.
With each swig of the soda in your mouth, more and more acid is created, and the effects of the sugar can last for 20 minutes. If you’re drinking soda all day, then that means that your teeth continuously go through the entire ordeal.
There are two main effects of drinking soda on your teeth. These are cavities and erosion. Erosion starts when the acids created by the drinks start to interact with the tooth enamel, wearing away at it and making it prone to cavities.
Soft drinks also affect the teeth’s dentin as well as the composite fillings, too. Cavities can develop over time in children, especially if they drink sodas or other sugary drinks regularly. Kids’ oral health can get even worse, especially when they have poor oral hygiene habits.
Preventing dental damage
Aside from visiting a kids’ dentist in Lehi, there are ways to help prevent the damage caused by drinking soda. Although it’s almost impossible to kick the habit immediately, doing a few of these steps can help reduce the risk of damaging your child’s teeth.
One way to do it is to moderate their drinking. Don’t let them have more than one soft drink every day. You can also tell your kid to use a straw whenever he or she is drinking one. Using a straw reduces the contact of soft drinks with the teeth, which also helps mitigate the damage that the drinks can do. You can also rinse your mouth with water afterward. This will help flush excess acid away from your teeth so that they’ll stop being attacked.
Lastly, don’t allow your kids to have soft drinks before bedtime. Aside from affecting their sleep because of the caffeine that the soda has, the sugar will also attack your child’s teeth all through the night, especially if they neglect their evening oral health routines.
Soft drinks are not a healthy choice. But you can always reduce the effects of it by choosing the ones that contain the least acid content. Experts say that Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, and Sprite have the least acid compared to other brands. Experts also highly recommend regular visits to the dentist. If you need a recommendation, you can seek dental expertise from the pediatric dentistry friendswood.
