We’re all familiar with energy drinks. Everywhere you turn there seems to be another one, caffeinated, packed full of sugar and promising to give us more energy. And let’s be honest, we all need it at some point or another! However, as much as we try to convince ourselves that these drinks are healthy and actually good for us, the truth is that they should be consumed in very small quantities. Not only because they can be quite acidic on your stomach but mainly because they aren’t good for your teeth!
One of the main problems with energy drinks is their acidic nature. The caffeine and sugar are actually an acid, and when these are mixed together with water, carbonated water and other ingredients, it leaves a very acidic drink. This acid is incredibly bad for your teeth and can actually cause erosion of your enamel. This will cause your teeth to become more sensitive and more prone to cavities. It also leaves your teeth looking more yellow and staining more easily.
As we have already discussed, energy drinks are highly acidic. When this is left inside your mouth, it attacks your teeth and causes erosion and softening of your teeth. This means that the minerals and proteins in your enamel are stripped away and your teeth become soft and weak. As a result, they are more likely to break or chip and will be more sensitive. Your enamel is your first line of defense, and once it is gone, bacteria can get inside your teeth and cause decay.
As well as softening your teeth and causing them to become more porous and easier for bacteria to get inside, the acid in energy drinks can also cause your teeth to become darker and more stained. This means that the yellow colour from the fluoride in the toothpaste you use to clean your teeth won’t be able to cover up the staining as well as it does on white teeth. Your teeth might actually look more yellow and stained. It is important to remember that you probably won’t notice the staining yourself; a lot of people don’t. But other people will be able to see it.
We have already established that the acid in energy drinks is incredibly bad for your teeth. But little do people know that the sugar in these drinks is just as bad. The sugar in energy drinks can actually rot your teeth. As we have discussed, the acid in these drinks is very bad for your teeth. But the sugar also feeds this acid and will also rot your teeth. The more sugar you have in your mouth, the faster it will rot your teeth. And because energy drinks have such a high level of sugar, they will rot your teeth much faster.
Another reason why people should be careful consuming energy drinks is the carbonation level. A lot of energy drinks are very carbonated, and if the person drinking them isn’t used to consuming this amount of carbonation, it can cause some serious damage to their teeth. The acidity in the energy drink will erode your enamel and make your teeth more sensitive to temperature. The carbonation will also increase the acidity and therefore the amount of damage it does to your teeth. This can lead to tooth erosion, sensitivity and more bacteria in your teeth.
Energy drinks are a great quick fix for when you need a boost of energy but we all should be cautious of the damage they can do to our teeth. They are acidic and can cause erosion of your enamel, they can stain your teeth and the sugar can rot your teeth. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to combat the damage and keep your teeth healthy when you drink energy drinks. You can drink them through a straw to reduce the amount of contact they have with your teeth, you can drink them with milk or you can even eat a snack before or after you drink them. Remember, energy drinks can be good for us, as long as we consume them in moderation and protect our teeth!