Can't Stop Soda Habit? Drink It Carefully

You've heard it time and again: Drinking soda is bad for your teeth.

Soft drinks contain one or more acids, commonly phosphoric and citric acids, which erode dental enamel, the thin outer layer of hard tissue that helps maintain the tooth structure and shape, while protecting it from decay.

But if you can't pass up an occasional soda, the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to help minimize soda-related damage to your teeth.

• Use a straw when drinking soda. It may help reduce the contact between your teeth and the beverage. And position the straw near the back of your mouth. A report in the May/June 2005 issue of the journal General Dentistry found that decay will be concentrated in the back molars of a person who drinks directly from a can and allows the liquid to pool in the mouth. Or decay will be found on the teeth in the front of the mouth in a person who drinks through a straw positioned at the front of the mouth, right behind the lips.
• Don't brush your teeth right after drinking soda. You may damage the enamel, which is weakened by the acid in carbonated beverages.
• Drink it down. If you sip sugar-sweetened drinks over a long period, you're increasing exposure to acid and the risk of damage leading to tooth decay.

And don't think you can protect your teeth by sticking to diet soda.

"Although diet sodas don't contain sugar, they are still acidic, and therefore, can damage enamel," said Dr. Howard Needleman, a pediatric dentist in Needham, Mass.

Sodas aren't the only beverage that pose a danger to your tooth enamel. Noncolas and canned iced teas also contain flavor additives, such as malic, tartaric and other organic acids, which are more aggressive at eroding teeth, according to the Academy of General Dentistry.