Dentist Tips: Rethink Your Sugary Drink

Drinking beverages that are high in sugars and acids not only affect your oral health but your general health as well.

Aside from tooth decay and gum problems, sugar-sweetened beverages can also cause other health risks such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, just to name a few.

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: What Are They?

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are any liquids that are sweetened with various forms of added sugars, such as:

• Brown sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Glucose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Lactose
• Malt syrup
• Maltose
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Sucrose

Examples of sugar-sweetened beverages, include:

• Regular soda
• Fruit drinks
• Sports drinks
• Energy drinks
• Sweetened waters
• Coffee and tea beverages with added sugars

So, how much sugar is in your favourite thirst-quenchers?

Soft Drinks

Coca-Cola (355 ml can) – 39 grams

Mountain Dew (355 ml can) – 47 grams

Energy Drinks

Rockstar Energy Drink (473 ml can) – 62 grams

Red Bull Energy Drink (245 ml can) – 27 grams

Fountain Drinks

7-Eleven Coca-Cola Big Gulp – 91 grams

7-Eleven Coca-Cola Super Big Gulp – 146 grams

Juice Drinks

Golden Circle Tropical Fruit (591 ml bottle) – 70 grams

Snapple Lemon Iced Tea (473 ml bottle) – 46 grams

Daily Juice Orange (591 ml bottle) – 48 grams

Milk Drinks

Nesquik Chocolate Milk (473 ml bottle) – 58 grams

Vita Soy Milk (240 ml) – 18 grams

Alcoholic Drink 

Mike’s Hard Lemonade (330 ml bottle) – 30 grams

How Tooth Damage Occurs

• Tooth decay is caused by bacteria in the mouth that use sugar from foods and drinks to produce acids that can dissolve and damage your teeth.
• Sugar-sweetened beverages have sugar levels and drinking these can contribute to tooth decay.
• Regular and ”diet” soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks also have high acid levels that can cause dental erosion.
• Dental erosion occurs when acid sticks onto the teeth and dissolve the outer surfaces of the enamel.
• Regular enamel loss can lead to tooth decay and exposure of the inner parts of the tooth that may cause extreme sensitivity and pain.
• An acid attack usually lasts for around 20 minutes each. Every time you sip an SSB, the acid damage begins all over again.

Fight Dental Decay and Erosion

• Use a straw, so your teeth are less exposed to sugars and/or acids in the drink.
• Drink lots of water, preferably tap water that has been fluoridated, after a sugary and/or acidic drink. this helps rinse out your mouth and dissolve the sugars.
• Use a fluoride-containing toothpaste to protect your teeth. After drinking sugary and/or acidic beverages, don’t brush your teeth immediately. Wait at least one hour for your teeth to recover, and your enamel to reharden before brushing them.
• Do not sip a sugary and/or acidic drink slowly or over a long duration. Doing so exposes your teeth to harmful sugars and acids for longer.
• Never drink sugary and/or acidic drinks before sleeping at night – the liquid will settle in your mouth, coating your teeth with sugar and/or acid and causing a more significant damage.
• Drink lots of water! It has no acid, no sugar – and no kilojoules!

Pay attention to what you put into your mouth. Pick healthy alternatives to sugary drinks. Choose to stay healthy and live well.

Quality Dental Care in Casula

Our team at Casula Dental Care are here to make every visit to the dentist as comfortable and pleasant as possible. Contact us to make an appointment.

Visit your Casula dentist today!

Same-Day Dental Emergency Appointment Available in Casula

To book your dental appointment in Casula, please call us on (02) 919 99695 or request your appointment online.

We are located at Shop 17A Casula Mall, 1 Ingham Drive in Casula.