What drink is best for teeth?

cepheus

I have sensitive teeth so I was wondering if there are any drinks which don't destroy tooth enamel? Ideally something with low PH and sugar.

This suggests Root beer. Any other ideas?

http://worldental.org/nutrition/bad-and-good-soft-drinks-for-your-teeth-health/66/

Here is a list with PH and Sugar

http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/pH_drinks.htm

Edit I think this is it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Root-Beer-355-Pack-12/dp/B003TL1ZV0
or this non sugar version?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diet-Root-Beer-355-Pack/dp/B003TL7UPA/ref=pd_sim_grocery_4

brook2jack

You don't want low ph that is acid! Neutral ph around 7.

Water,water,water. Or tea (high in fluoride, green tea high in antioxidants). Milk .

Toothsmith

What she said! ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Milk & water are safe.

Tea & coffee (with NO sugar) are basically just a combination of milk & water, sot that's OK too (That's animal milk though, not soya or oat)

Anything else will be either sugary or acidic to some degree or other.

[Deleted User]

Drinking through a straw would greatly reduce damage.

brook2jack

To expand on what ts said most non animal milk replacements are very high in sugars eg soya,nut milks,oat milks.

If you don't like the taste of tap water put it in a jug in the fridge for a couple of hours and this will allow the chlorine to evaporate off and improve the taste . Humans are designed to nutritionally need water and even low sugar drinks have consequences in terms of weight control, bone density (phosphate content) etc etc.

brook2jack

Nb from your links root beer is thirty times more acidic than water (neutral ph of 7) at a ph of 4. That cannot possibly be said to be tooth friendly just not as bad as some other fizzy drinks.

cepheus

Yes sorry I meant a higher PH Doooohhh! , up to 7 anyway,

I assumed tea and coffee and water wasn't too bad but something slightly more tasty. Are there not toothkind brands?

The PH scale is logarithmic so each PH is ten ten stronger than the previous one, so PHs or 5 or 6 should be insignificantly acidic for tooth enamel as demonstrated here with these mouthwashes. The only dangerous one is Listarine @ 3.87 and only if soaked for 14hours. The others around 5 and 6 seem to be OK at this soak.

I think the trick is to avoid the really dangerous ones rather than become obsessive. For example Coke Classic is roughly 100 times as acidic as Barq's root beer.

brook2jack

Mouthwashes are a waste of money and time unless specifically prescribed for a particular problem.

Most will actively cause problems eg they are acidic or contain alcohol. None should be used within an hour of brushing teeth as they interfere with the action of toothpaste and wash away fluoride.

In America most (95%) are classified cosmetics because there is no compelling clinical evidence they have ANY health benefits.

~Chameleon~

Water!!!

brook2jack

Some time ago certain companies marketed toothkind drinks ,dentally endorsed. This was rapidly withdrawn as rank and file dentists protested at selling out as there is no such thing as a toothkind drink other than water, milk , tea and possibly coffee with no sugar. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1121749.stm

Drinking other types of drinks may be ok with a meal but in between times stick to the above. Water is an essential nutrient.

This is not to say you can't drink other things, but stick to meal times. If you have sensitive teeth the damage has already started, so get good habits now.

jenniewb

I'd agree, water is the best thing.

I have teeth in very poor condition and have had to pick up bits of information on how to protect them through the years following too many years in the past where eating disorders wrecked my teeth (its that bad it was a huge factor in my motivation to recovery!)

Milk is a good option but even that can be harmful because milk (even the natural stuff) has some sugars in it just naturally which will deposit on your teeth after drinking and its when it sits on your teeth that you get damage. Yes its less sugary then other drinks and far less acidic then diet drinks (which in some cases can actually be just as or more damaging then sugary versions) but they are more acidic then plain water.

And the fizzy stuff? This is also damaging. I am not 100% on this but I was under the impression that even water has a mild acidic level, nothing to worry about and nothing that will cause you any internal damage, its due to the treatments in the water and nutrients/minerals from the soil, air and rocks it picks up naturally. But in terms of drinks with the least amount of acid in water is best.

Bicarb of soda was suggested to me to neutralise acids created from acidic foods and drinks if its any help.