Summer is coming and that means that more of us will need to hydrate during the long, hot months ahead. For many people this means knocking back a sports drink or a tall, cold glass of lemonade. But before you do, here is some food for thought that might make you think once or twice about that urge. Sports drinks and beverages containing citrus are quite hard on teeth enamel.
J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, director of biomaterials research at the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, recently conducted a study of the hard effects these drinks have on teeth. Using extracted teeth, he simulated a 13 year exposure to a wide variety of beverages. He replicated what would be defined as normal exposure, weighing the teeth both before and afterwords. He found that the tooth enamel was harmed by all the tested drinks, but the ones inflicting the most harm were, in descending order, lemonade, energy drinks, sports drinks, fitness water (often with citrus flavors), iced tea and cola. His research indicates that the best way to consume the sports drinks is to chug them all at once rather than sip them continually throughout the day. After drinking them, the mouth should be thoroughly rinsed with water to prevent any enamel corrosion.
Of course, water is always a natural, sugar free thirst quencher.
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