Will Soda Really Ruin My Teeth?

If your teeth are one of the hardest parts of your body, then how could soda damage them? Tune in to learn more.

So there’s an urban myth, if you will, that soda can dissolve a tooth overnight. The Internet has thoroughly busted it. But just because it’s proven that hanging onto a mouthful of cola for upwards of 12 hours won’t hollow out your jaw, that doesn’t mean you should try it. Soft drinks can indeed damage your pearly whites. But how, and how much?

Let’s talk teeth. Your teeth have four basic layers: the root, the pulp, the dentin protecting the pulp, and the enamel. Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue the human body produces. Because it’s not alive, it can’t repair itself.

That means it takes damage from daily wear and tear, including what we eat and drink. There are two types of trouble drinks can cause: all-over erosion due to the acids they contain, and spot decay caused by the bacteria that grow on your teeth.

Both come down to a pH imbalance. On a scale from zero to xenomorph, the human mouth has a pretty neutral pH level: something around 6.8. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic, 14 being the most base or alkaline, and 7 being neutral – like pure water.

Some of the bacteria in your mouth are sugar-hungry. When you consume sweet stuff like soda, they throw the bacterial equivalent of a house party: They’ll link up into colonies on your teeth called a biofilm or plaque and feast on the sugar. And they’ll excrete acids, which can weaken your enamel wherever they’ve hunkered down, eventually causing cavities. “But Ben,” you might say, “I only drink sugar-free sodas.” That’ll save you from cavities, but all sodas contain acids of their own.

On the pH scale, soft drinks have been found to range from around 4.0 to 2.4. For comparison, battery acid is a 1. Your saliva should bring your mouth back to normal within half an hour or so, but your enamel can be affected by anything from about a 5.5 or below.

The erosion and decay caused by chronic soda consumption can be rampant – and yes, that’s the official medical term. In one case study, soda abuse was found to do dental damage equivalent to meth or crack abuse.

Dentists recommend using straws and rinsing with water after drinking any acidic or sugary stuff. They also stress brushing twice a day with fluoride or remineralizing products to help maintain your enamel. (It can’t heal itself from the inside the way your bones do, but the mineral structure can be buffeted from the outside.)

SOURCES:

[hperrio]

I grew up in a family of cola addicts. My grandma used to keep baby bottles of coke in the fridge for me. I drank sodas exclusively, except for the occasional milk carton with school lunches. I had childhood diabetes, and weighed 200lbs by the 4th grade, if not sooner. My Holy Communion dress (around the age of 8) was an adult size 14. By the time I moved out at age 19, my teeth had already begun to disintegrate. The damage had already been done by then. We've tried repairing them for years. I'm 31 now. I weigh less than I did as a child, and am having dentures put in.

Soda is no joke people. Please stop giving your kids junk.

[tonyblackops]

The enamel CAN repair itself just not directly, it requires good salivary flow and minerals dissolved in the saliva to promote a process called remineralisation. 

[Neceros]

Literally just got back from the dentist. Soda RUINS your teeth. I now have 3 teeth less than I had yesterday, thanks in large part to cola.

[miguel_rxo]

Imagine if we had unlimited teeth we could just remove all of our messed up ones and grown brand new ones and start all overs again this time taking better care of them

[raditzan]

Comparison to battery acid means nothing without giving the audience the knowledge that pH is a logarithmic scale.

[FELiPES]

I probably drink one can of soda a day and brush well with mouth wash as well and every time I go to the dentist they say I have great teeth. You can definitely rock soda and still have good teeth.

[col]

Anyone else drinking soda while watching this? :/

[tablelegz]

I don’t need this video to know my dentist told me coke stained my teeth I used to drink it all the time I was told that info when I was 7! Ruined teeth by 7 for me I stopped drinking soda it’s about making sure the damage doesn’t get worse and to try to whiten it a bit. Still got very yellow teeth

[EqualsThreeable]

I'm guessing that fruits can contain a lot of citrusy acid, probably not as bad as soda, but still can do damage.

[peanutbuttah_]

When my dentist would tell me soda can cause really bad fillings I didn't believe her cause I've been drinking soda ever since I was little I was about 16 when I went to the dentist and I had a tooth that was causing me so much pain and the doctor she grabbed onto it and it totally crushed apart and she said this is what happens when you drink to much acid drinks so I got a root canal and after I rarely drink soda now haha

[howstuffworks]

BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks asks: If your teeth are one of the hardest parts of your body, then how could soda damage them? Ben has the answer in this episode.

[Xtreme_shorts]

its to late for me i have drank so much pepsi and other sodas that my teeth enamel is eroding and i want to stop but pepsi and other sodas are to addicting! they are so cheap and its like a drug but i am drinking milk to stop the erosion of my teeth.

[Phatnaru]

Why can you just get a protective coating around your teeth to avoid this stuff? Soda helps me out in many ways. It gives me just the right amount of caffeine I need in my day, it mentally relaxes me, and it helps get rid of my chronic migraines. As much as I don't want to lose my teeth, I need soda to get through everything else, so, honestly, dentists should work on finding a way around it instead of just saying "just don't drink it." That's lazy. I constantly have to seek improvement and advancement in my job. Why do dentists get to just stick with the status quo?

[melisa-jnde]

Soda is honestly really disgusting. The one I *find okay* is Sprite.

Else I am 24/7 on water.

[zanastumasonis]

if enamel is dead, how does it grow initially?

[ZavHeart]

"In one case study" Y u no comprehensive :'(

[Zanezy.]

So does drinking the soda itself damage the teeth or does the soda lingering around or touching the teeth make it damage/decay? Because if I can just get it down my mouth without damaging my teeth I'll gladly start using straws.

[BrainStuffShow]

If your teeth are one of the hardest parts of your body, then how could soda damage them? Tune in to learn more.

[masachamu]

Hey guys, I made the experiment and i left my wisdom tooth in coca-cola for a whole night and no, it didn't dissolve. What happened was that it turned totally black and gummy. The other thing i did is that i left my other tooth in bleach (a basic mix) and it turns absolutely white and breakable, why did that happen? I would love an specific answer :)

[LucaVincent]

my friend drinks coke all the time and has had no fillings but i never drink any fizzy drinks and have had to have several fillings- how do you explain that? :/