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Something's Rotten At AMOS

carbonation bubbles in soda

Acid Test

Do you love soda, but worry about what its doing to your dental health?

Never fear, soda doesn't actually cause tooth decay as previously thought.

While it does contain citric and phosphoric acids, so do plenty of other foods and beverages. Grapefruit juice, for example, is more acidic than Coke. Usually, though, your saliva can neutralize these acids without a problem, plus your teeth get extra protection from their enamel coating.

Watch Out For Bacteria

But it's not a great idea to drink soda all day long, for reasons obvious and not so obvious.

If you nurse a soda all day long, or drink it when you're dehydrated and your mouth is dry, you might run into problems in the long term. But if your mouth is healthy, the thing you need to be concerned about isn't acid so much as sugar. Bacteria that live in your mouth ingest the sugar the soda leaves behind and produce acids that eventually destroy tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay.

If you drink soda, just brush your teeth and your chompers will stay healthy.

Read More:

"Coke Don't Rot" (WHY Files)

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