Family Dentist in Mobile AL

Sparkling Water, Bad For Your Teeth?

Popular drinks are becoming sugar-free sparkling water.  Switching from sugar-sweetened sodas and juices to this water is obviously a great change.  The adverse effects that sugary drinks cause to the teeth are well-known, so waves of people seem to be making the switch to sparking water and other sugar-free fizzy drinks.  According to the USA Today report, 574 million gallons of sparking water were sold in 2016.

It is assumed that sparkling water is a healthy choice for your diet but there are those out there that say it is not as great as it seems.  And then what about the teeth?  Is this sparkling water bad for your teeth?  Here’s what you need to know.

Soda and the Teeth

Sugary sodas pack a huge punch against your teeth.  They are full of sugar, which leads to tooth decay and cavities plus most carbonated drinks are higher in acidity.  Acidic foods and drinks are more likely to contribute to tooth erosion than non-acidic foods. 

Because soda has a negative effect on the teeth, the ADA recommends choosing other beverages.  The beverages recommended are water, milk, and unsweetened sparkling water. 

Sparking Water and the Teeth

Sparkling water doesn’t contain sugar, but it is carbonated.  There have been a few studies that have examined the acidity of various drinks, and this includes sparkling water.  One of these studies was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.  This study measured the pH of almost 400 beverages.  The drinks were a mixture of sweetened sodas, sports drinks, juices, teas, and sparkling water.  Family Dentist in Mobile AL

The scientists who performed this study ranked the erosiveness of drinks based on their pH levels.  Drinks that had a pH under 3.0 were labeled as “extremely erosive”.  Drinks that have a pH between 3.0 and 3.99 were “erosive” and any drink with a pH above 4.0 was “minimally erosive”.  The majority of sports drinks were rated as extremely erosive.  Certain sparking waters were ranked as minimally erosive. 

Another researcher at McGill University conducted a similar study.  She tested the pH of nine different brands of sparkling water.  She tested the drinks at refrigerator temperature and room temperature as well as carbonated form and decarbonated form.  In all the tests the water has a pH above 4.0.  Family Dentist in Mobile AL

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