Within contemporary times, awareness has been rising about dietary food values, calorie intake, and the impact that some food and beverages can have on your overall health and teeth.
Therefore, the popularity of sparkling water and the increase in its consumption could be the result of people looking forward to healthier alternatives to regular sodas. However, there has been a constant debate regarding the effect it can have on teeth and whether it is good or bad for them.
Fortunately, Dr. Moh Yakubi is here to answer this question with scientifically proven information.
What is sparkling water?
Sparkling water is a type of beverage that consists of plain water that underwent a simple carbonation process. Therefore, resulting in an infusion of water with carbon dioxide gas.
Although it is water, you still get the same sparkling sensation as drinking soda or a soft drink. Since sparkling water doesn’t contain a large amount of sugar and other additives present in regular sodas, it becomes a healthier alternative.
Furthermore, sugar is not the only element you may want to control if you are looking forward to maintaining healthy teeth. Acids also play an essential role in cavities development and enamel erosion. Moreover, both regular sodas and sparkling water possess acidic pH. However, sparkling water pH is still less acidic than sodas.
Different types of sparkling water.
Same as regular sodas, there are different carbonated or sparkling water. Moreover, it is essential to understand their differences as they act differently on your teeth.
● Club Soda: is water artificially carbonated. It is also infused with minerals, such as sodium chloride and disodium phosphate.
● Seltzer: Also artificially carbonated. This type of sparkling water is usually not infused with minerals. However, its composition varies depending on the brand.
● Sparkling mineral water: The carbonation process occurs naturally on the springs where the water is taken from. They possess natural minerals such as calcium, sodium, and magnesium. However, they can be artificially infused with carbon dioxide to increase the sparkling effect.
● Tonic water: This type of carbonated water possesses minerals and quinine. Moreover, it is also artificially sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
As each type of sparkling water possesses different minerals, they interact differently with the carbon dioxide in their formula. This can make some sparkling water more acidic than others and result in different effects on your teeth.
Is the sparkling water pH bad for teeth?
Sparkling water possesses a mean pH of 3-4. Although this is considered acidic, it is not at the bottom of the scale.
The acid pH of sparkling water is due to the carbonic acid that forms from carbon dioxide. The acids produce a demineralization effect over the teeth’s enamel. Therefore, resulting in erosion and cavities. However, studies have proven that although sparkling water is more acidic than plain water, the effect that they both cause on your teeth is highly similar, but mild enough to be considered harmless.
Still, this only applies to plain sparkling water. Certain elements such as potassium citrate and disodium phosphate contained in Club Soda can lower the sparkling water pH, making it potentially harmful.
Furthermore, flavored sparkling water can have the same eroding effect on the enamel, especially if it’s a citric flavor such as orange or lemon.
Lastly, as Tonic Water contains sweeteners, the negative effect of sugar adds up with the acid. Not only increasing the odds of eroding the enamel but also the ones of developing cavities.
However, even when these elements make certain types of sparkling water slightly harmful, they are not as negative as regular sodas, as their acidic level and sugar concentration are fairly lower. Furthermore, plain sparkling water with no additives does not pose a problem to your enamel.
Sparkling water and restorations
Since most people have at least one restoration on their teeth, it is important to evaluate the effect of sparkling water on these restorations.
An in vitro study found out that although sparkling water has a minimal impact on healthy enamel, it can negatively affect etched or sealed enamel. Moreover, it is capable of partially dissolving the adhesive material that bonds the restoration to the teeth.
This breakage creates micro gaps between both of them that bacteria could take advantage of and colonize. Therefore, increasing the risk of developing cavities under the restorations, pain or hypersensitivity, or even restoration dislodgement.
Therefore, although sparkling water is generally considered harmless to your teeth’s enamel, it has the potential to affect your dental restorations and indirectly cause damage to your oral health. However, if the restoration is properly sealed, the odds of sparkling water affecting it are low.
Special considerations
It is proven that sparkling water is a good alternative to soft drinks as they offer the same fizzy sensation while avoiding consuming large amounts of additives and sugar. However, although it does not damage your teeth and will ease your thirst, it can’t be used to completely replace drinking regular water.
This is because regular water is usually treated and infused with fluoride. This mineral is vital to maintaining healthy teeth and preventing cavities.
Consequently, even if you replace soft drinks with sparkling water as a healthier alternative, you must not forget to also drink regular water.
What is the final verdict?
Sparkling water is not bad for your teeth. It is not as good as regular plain water, but the impact it has is fairly mild. Even if, in some cases, their ingredients make them slightly more acidic or sweet, they are still a better option than most beverages, especially soft drinks. Therefore, you can safely drink sparkling water.
However, you should also be drinking regular water to ensure that your teeth obtain enough fluoride to remain strong and protected against cavities.
If you need more information, you can contact Dr. Moh Yakubi for consultation and he will be glad to help you. You can find him on every social media as the Singodontist.
