Are sports drinks good or bad for your teeth?

Are sports drinks good for your health? That’s debatable. 

Sports drink consumers feel as if they are rehydrating their bodies after a long run or an intense workout by regularly intaking sports drinks. Despite helping the body replenish water, minerals, and electrolytes, these drinks are not so good for your teeth. Sports drinks can harm your dental health if you drink one every day or a few every week.

According to experts, sports drinks are not suitable for daily consumption unless they are becoming part of a high-performance athlete’s diet when they lose excessive electrolytes through sweat. It is also not recommended from a dental health perspective to consume sports drinks. Sports drinks are mainly composed of three ingredients: water, carbs (aka sugar), and electrolytes. Sugars cause the mouth to become more acidic, which attracts harmful bacteria that destroy tooth enamel. It attacks enamel when the mouth’s acidity levels are just right. This causes cavities and tooth decay. Teeth enamel does not renew itself like the skin on the body. It’s not possible to restore yours once it has eroded.

Sports drinks have some negative effects:

• Highly Acidic: A surprising aspect of sports drinks is their extremely high acidity. Enamel can be significantly corroded by acids, even dentin, which is softer than enamel. A weak tooth is susceptible to decay as a result.  
• High Sugar Content: The other problem with sports drinks is the amount of sugar they contain. Sugar bathes your teeth every time you drink, with the result that your mouth is contaminated with bacteria that cause cavities, requiring fillings or even root canal treatments. 
• Stain Teeth: When your enamel corrodes, you are more likely to have stained teeth. Sports drinks often contain artificial colors that stain teeth.
• Teeth Sensitivity: When your enamel is weakened by acidity, you can have teeth that are more sensitive to cold, heat, and sugar.

Protecting your teeth:

• Preventative Measures: For those who feel they can’t stay sufficiently hydrated without sports drinks, here are some tips: drink plenty of water after you’ve consumed them and brush your teeth as soon as you can. 
• Healthy Sports Drinks: Some sports drinks do less damage to your teeth because of their lower sugar content and lower acidity level. But you should also avoid artificial sweeteners, which are just as dangerous as sugar. 
• Simply Electrolytes: Mix electrolytes with water to get better hydration without excess sugar or acidity. Usually, they do not contain sugar and come in different flavors. 
• Don’t Drink Sports Drinks: Sports drinks are harmful to your dental health, so you should avoid them entirely.

Keep Your Teeth Healthy All Your Life

• Diet: Dental health is directly related to what you eat and drink. You can damage your teeth by eating and drinking sweet things. 
• Self Care: A regular diet that is high in sugar should be brushed at least twice a day and perhaps a little more often. 
• Professional Care: Maintaining your teeth by going to your dentist twice a year for cleaning and oral evaluation is important. Tooth decay is a result of tartar and plaque, so dental cleanings remove them.

While we do not recommend that you stop drinking sports drinks completely, just be sure to limit the intake over time and maintain your pearly whites.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!