{"id":171,"date":"2019-01-15T15:32:31","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T15:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/?p=171"},"modified":"2026-04-02T22:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T22:28:46","slug":"the-link-between-declining-oral-health-and-energy-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/the-link-between-declining-oral-health-and-energy-drinks\/","title":{"rendered":"The Link Between Declining Oral Health and Energy Drinks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/opening-an-energy-drink-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"opening an energy drink\" class=\"wp-image-172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/opening-an-energy-drink-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/opening-an-energy-drink-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/opening-an-energy-drink-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/opening-an-energy-drink.jpg 1429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Energy drinks are popular among both teenagers and adults.\nWhether you\u2019re desperate for some help to get you through those last few\ngrueling hours at work, or you need a pick-me-up to power through a late-night\nstudy session, it\u2019s easy to head to the convenience store and buy some bottled\nenergy. However, is it really wise to rely on these beverages? Habitually\nconsuming them could lead to some serious consequences. Let\u2019s discuss the link\nbetween declining oral health and energy drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Sugar Affects Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tooth enamel is the outermost layer of the teeth. It is the\nhardest substance in the human body, and its job is to protect the sensitive\ndentin and pulp beneath it. As tough as it is, however, it is not invincible.\nWhen sugar interacts with the bacteria in your mouth, it produces acids that\nweaken the enamel. Prolonged exposure to these acids can lead to irreversible\ntooth damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, energy and sports drinks contain tons of\nsugar. For example, a regular Monster energy drink contains a whopping 55 grams\nof sugar. Other drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, are not much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sugar-Free Doesn\u2019t Mean Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many beverage companies market sugar-free or low-sugar\nalternatives to traditional sports and energy drinks. However, that doesn\u2019t\nmean they\u2019re safe for your teeth. They may contain high levels of citric acids\nor other types of acid that can erode enamel even without the help of sugar.\nCarbonated energy drinks are particularly guilty of causing dental problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides traditional energy drinks, you should also be wary\nof: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Body\nArmor<\/strong>. Some varieties of this popular drink are quite acidic. They may also\nhave high sugar levels.<\/li><li><strong>Gatorade<\/strong>.\nEven sugar-free Gatorade can bathe your teeth in acid. Gatorade Blue is the\nworst sports drink for teeth because of its high acid content.<\/li><li><strong>Coconut\nwater.<\/strong> Coconut water has been advertised as \u201cnature\u2019s sports drink\u201d because\nit contains natural electrolytes. It may be better for your teeth than\nartificial alternatives, but it is still not exactly smile-friendly. If you\nchoose to drink it, pick a variety with no added sugar or flavors.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protect Your Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers conducted a study and found that after just five days, habitually consuming energy drinks can cause tooth enamel to lose roughly three percent of its weight. Over time, the cumulative damage could be catastrophic. Therefore, you have every reason to avoid energy drinks and stick to drinking plain water. If you need an energy boost, choose coffee or tea, and rinse your mouth with water afterward. Your good habits will reward you with a healthier mouth and a reduced risk of painful dental problems! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Aiyana Zenobia Anderson is a general dentist in Alamo\nRanch with over seven years of experience. She particularly enjoys helping\npatients overcome dental anxiety and adopt a positive view of oral healthcare.\nIf you have questions about how to make wise beverage choices, or it is simply\ntime for your next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">checkup<\/a>,\nshe would be happy to help you. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/contact.html\">Contact our office<\/a>\nat 210-463-9339.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Energy drinks are popular among both teenagers and adults. Whether you\u2019re desperate for some help to get you through those last few grueling hours at work, or you need a pick-me-up to power through a late-night study session, it\u2019s easy to head to the convenience store and buy some bottled energy. However, is it really [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions\/444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alamospringsdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}