The pH Levels in What You Drink and Your Teeth – More From a Family Dentist

For a family dentist, some of our greatest joy comes from doing more than just fixing up your teeth when you have a problem. As a family dentist, we know that the best medicine is often not needing any medicine, and so we live by the old adage that prevention is better than a cure. To do this, we practice what we preach with a holistic approach to preventative medicine that depends a great deal on you as the patient to care about what you eat, how frequently you engage in oral hygiene, and learning the things that can help or harm your mouth. One of the most complicated conversations we have found as a family dentist is when it comes to discussing the eating and drinking habits many people develop. The challenge isn’t that most patients do not know that things like drinking excessive coffee or soda is bad for their teeth, but that most people do not want to change their habits. What is important to remember is that whatever you put in your mouth will ultimately have an influence on the overall oral health of your gums and teeth.

There is natural bacteria that live in your mouth and thus live on the food you eat. The healthier you eat, the less likely you will have to deal with problems like decay. This is where important questions like the levels of pH in the things you drink come into play. Over the last several months, it has become evident that the education of our patients must include things like pH levels, and so we want to share with you important information we as a family dentist know about keeping your teeth healthy. To help you control this bacteria, it is important you understand how they react to certain foods and things you drink, which, in the long run, can help you alter habits that are bad for your teeth.

Chemistry sees everything very simplistically sometimes. When it comes to substance, as relevant to the family dentist, there are two kinds of substances in chemistry. These are acidic and alkaline. Acidic substances have a lower pH level. In family dentistry, we use water as the baseline. Water has a pH level of 7 and is perfectly healthy for your teeth. Anything with a pH level higher than 7, and hence higher than water has an alkaline definition. If the substance has a lower pH level, like coffee, for example, which has a pH level of 4.85, it is considered to be acidic. Among the most acidic of substances that people drink are soda. Coca-Cola has a pH level of 2.5, which places it closer to battery acid (pH level of 0.0) than water. When you drink many acidic drinks, you are washing your teeth in this substance. The acid then works on leeching critical minerals from your teeth, which weakens the enamel. The best way to avoid the effects of this acid is to wait around 30 minutes and then brush your teeth.