Fizzy drinks present triple threat to kids’ teeth
by Guy Hiscott
Researchers are warning parents of the dangers of highly acidic drinks that could present a ‘triple threat’ of permanent damage to young people’s teeth.
Highly acidic drinks include soft drinks, fruit juice, sport drinks, and others.
Australian dental researchers have shown that lifelong damage is caused by acidity to the teeth within the first 30 seconds of acid attack.
Highly acidic drinks combined with nighttime tooth grinding and reflux can cause major, irreversible damage to young people’s teeth.
One of the study’s authors, Sarbin Ranjitkar, said: ‘If high acidity drinks are consumed, it is not simply a matter of having a child clean their teeth an hour or 30 minutes later and hoping they’ll be okay – the damage is already done.’
Dr Ranjitkar added: ‘[Dental] erosion can lead to a lifetime of compromised dental health that may require complex and extensive rehabilitation, but it is also preventable with minimal intervention.’
The study was published in the Journal of Dentistry this year.
