Everyone needs to quench their thirst after a hard workout. With the popularity of, sports drinks on the rise, recent studies from New York University College of dentistry have shown that these drinks are quite harmful to the teeth because they cause the enamel surface of the teeth to wear out. This is called erosion and the reason this occurs is because these soft drinks contain excessive amounts of citric acid.
They discovered this by immersing teeth in either water or a top-selling sports drinks such as Vitamin Water, Life Water, Gatorade, Powerade, and Propel Fit Water. Teeth were soaked for 75 to 90 minutes, to replicate consuming a beverage over time; researchers measured the strength of the teeth after they slowly wear away the important layer of the tooth called the enamel.
It is also imperative that if these drinks are consumed, they should be at moderate amount and not relied upon as a source of hydration. Here are few tips to keep in mind if you consume these drinks on a regular basis.
1) Avoid swishing them in your mouth before swallowing
2) Dilute the drink by adding equal amount of water before consuming
3) Don’t brush your teeth right after, wait about ½ hour to allow saliva to remineralize the damage caused by the acids.
4) Sip through a straw
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