BrainStuff Classics: Will Soda Really Ruin My Teeth?

Soda may not dissolve teeth in 12 hours flat, but it can cause damage to your pearly whites. Learn how -- and how to avoid it without giving up your favorite drink -- in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren Folke bomb here with a classic episode
featuring our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar. This one concerns one
of those health warnings that we hear but may dismiss.
Is over cautious or an overstatement that soda will ruin
your teeth. Christians here to separate the truth from the fiction.

(00:28):
Hey brain Stuff, it's me Christian Sagar. So there's this
urban myth that soda can dissolve a tooth overnight. The
Internet has thoroughly busted this. But just because it's proven
that hanging onto a mouthful of cola for upwards of
twelve hours won't hollow out your jaw, that doesn't mean
you should try it. Soft drinks can indeed damage your

(00:48):
pearly whites. But how and how much? Well, let's talk teeth.
Your teeth have four basic layers, the root, the pulp,
the denton protecting the pulp, and the enamel tooth. Enamel
is the hardest tissue the human body produces. It's made
up of crystal fibers packed together into a smooth mineral casing,

(01:09):
or as we call it, a crown. But Unlike your bones,
enamel is not a living tissue because it's not alive.
That also means it can't repair itself. That means it
takes damage from daily wear and tear, including what we
eat and what we drink. There are two types of trouble.
Drinks can cause all over erosion due to the acids

(01:31):
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 six
point eight. The pH scale itself runs from zero to fourteen,
with zero being the most acidic, fourteen being the most

(01:55):
base or alkaline, and seven being neutral like pure water.
Some of the bacteria in your mouth are sugar hungry,
so 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 the lookscrete acids, which

(02:17):
can weaken your enamel whenever they're hunkered down, eventually causing cavities.
But Christian, you might say I only drink sugar free
sodas well. 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 four point
oh to two point four. Your saliva should bring your

(02:41):
mouth back to normal within a half an hour or so,
but your enamel can be affected by anything from about
a five point five or below. The erosion and decay
caused by chronic soda consumption can be rampant, and yes,
rampant is the official medical term. In one case study,
soda abuse was found to do dental damage equivalent to

(03:03):
meth or crack abuse. The only difference was the shade
of discoloration in the patient's remaining teeth. Dentists recommend using
straws and rinsing with water after drinking any acidic or
sugary stuff. They also stress rushing twice a day with
fluoride or remineralizing products to help maintain your enamel. In fact,

(03:26):
it can't heal itself from the inside the way your
bones do, but the mineral structure can be buffeted from
the outside. These are good habits even if you've never
touched a soda in your life. After all, sodas aren't
the only culprits in enamel erosion, in tooth decay, and
your future relationship with dentures isn't the only thing at

(03:47):
stake here. Research has linked oral health and whole body health.
This means a disease that starts in the mouth may
have a hand in heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory infections,
and even some cancers. Today's episode was written by me

(04:10):
and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of
I Heart Radios How stuff Works. For more on this
and lots of other toothsome topics, visit our home planet,
how stuff works dot com and for more podcasts. For
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