We tend to associate sugary, fizzy drinks with tooth decay, but sometimes, seemingly “heathy” options including fruit teas and smoothies can lead to problems, too.
According to Claire Stevens, an NHS dentist and President of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, teeth face two threats as a result of what we drink: decay and erosion.
“Every time we consume drinks containing sugar, the bacteria which live in our mouths can use the sugar to produce acid, which dissolves the tooth and results in dental decay,” she tells HuffPost UK.
Dental decay begins in a localised spot and may cause a hole in the tooth which needs filling. In contrast, erosion can occur across the whole tooth surface.
“Dental erosion is the permanent loss of tooth tissue due to acid wear. The main source of acid is from things we eat and drink. When tooth wear becomes extreme, the teeth will reduce in size and may become uncomfortable requiring extensive dental treatment,” Stevens explains.
With this in mind, we asked Stevens what some of our favourite drinks are doing to our teeth – plus how we can minimise their damage if we really can’t resist them.
1. Fruit Juice And Smoothies
