What's in the (sparkling) water?

I often get questions about sparkling waters, seltzers, and club sodas. Do they damage the teeth? Are they healthier to drink than soda? What about fruit-infused, fruit-added, or fruit-flavored water?

Seltzer

Sparkling water, seltzer and club soda differ only slightly from each other. Seltzers and club sodas are injected with carbon dioxide gas to make them bubbly, however, club soda also has minerals added. Sparkling water is naturally bubbly and has minerals that are naturally from that water source. Sparkling water and club soda may have sodium in small amounts. Usually, all three have zero calories. If "natural flavors" have been added that means the drink also contains fruit flavors, spices or oils.

The important thing to remember when it comes to tooth damage from drinks are the things that need to be present to cause damage in the first place: plaque germs, sugar and acid.

Although sparkling waters, club sodas and seltzers are healthier than sweetened colas and sodas, they are somewhat acidic compared to plain water. If fruit flavorings are added, the nutrition label should be checked for sugar. Plain water with fruit slices or juices added contain sugar and acid from the fruit. Brushing and flossing should be done daily to ensure that the mouth and teeth are as germ-free as possible. Brushing should not be done immediately after drinking an acidic drink. It is best to wait at least 30 minutes. 

The best drink for mouth and teeth health is plain water. If the water in your community is fluoridated, that's even better. If you need more pep in your drink, sparkling mineral water, seltzer, club soda or water with some added fruit slices, are healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetened sodas and other beverages like sweet teas or sports drinks.

(Don't make the mistake of grabbing tonic water! Tonic is sometimes used in cocktails. It contains quinine, which tastes bitter and was once used used as a medicine in higher concentrations. Tonic also contains sugars and is high in calories.)

What's your favorite bubbly?

Here's a link to a classic Seinfeld clip "I wanted seltzer, not salsa!": https://youtu.be/evYSwr_D8OU

For more on unhealthy and tooth friendly drinks check out some of my previous posts!
https://mydentalhygienist.blogspot.com/2016/04/soda-skip-it.html

https://mydentalhygienist.blogspot.com/2015/11/you-are-what-you-drink.html



This blog and posts are not intended to diagnose or treat and should not be taken as medical or dental advice. If something is bothering, say something. Your medical and dental professionals can help.

What's New on the New Nutrition Labels

The New Nutrition Labels

What's new and what it means for your teeth

The nutrition label on packaged goods is changing to make it easier for people to understand the nutritional value of what they are eating and to be in line with current scientific knowledge.

This change, mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) reflects current research on what people actually eat or drink.

Food Serving Sizes Get a Reality Check, source: FDA.gov

For example, because people usually drink a can of sugar-sweetened soda in one sitting, the serving size of soda is being increased from 8 ounces to 12 ounces, the size of the can of soda. Twenty ounce bottles of sugar-sweetened beverages likewise will be considered only one serving. Other serving sizes will decrease. The serving size of yogurt, for instance, will decrease from 8 ounces to 6 ounces because data revealed that 6 ounces is the amount that someone typically eats in one serving. Any package that contains what might be considered one serving and could be eaten in one sitting must list the total amounts per package or have two labels, one per serving and one per package. (No more doing the math!)

Also changing are the nutrients that are listed. Some, like Vitamin A and C are being eliminated, while others, like Vitamin D and Potassium are now required. How fat is being listed is also changing. In addition to total fat, the type of fat is included.

Completely new to the label is a listing of added sugars. 

Obesity is a huge health problem. In the U.S. over 72 million adults and over 12 million children are obese. Not one State is within the national obesity rate health goal of less than 15%

Sugar is a major culprit. 

Added sugars should be no more than 10 percent of total calories. Any more than that prevents people from staying within daily calories limits and getting the valuable nutrients they need. There is no recommended amount of sugar in the diet and certainly no recommended amount of added sugar. Although sugar fuels our cells, our bodies make all that is needed by converting the food we eat into sugar. Additional sugar is simply not necessary in the diet.

Science has long known that the teeth are negatively affected by sugar as well. For good oral health the recommendation remains to eat whole fruits rather than juices and to strictly limit sugar sweetened beverages in the diet. Sugar along with plaque bacteria can cause cavities and sugar causes inflammation in the entire body, including the mouth.

Old label vs. New Label, source: FDA.gov

This change is a great way for everyone to monitor and cut down on sugar in their diets, should they care to do so. But changing the label in and of itself will do nothing unless people take personal responsibility for their own health and also learn how and what they should be eating.

Companies with packaged food and beverage sales over $10 million have until July of 2018 to start using the new labels and rules and smaller companies have an additional year. Be on the look-out for the new labels!

Are you reading nutrition labels to help make healthy food choices?

sources: www.cdc.gov; www.fda.gov

This blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition or illness. Please see your doctor or dentist for treatment and any health concerns.

Soda - Skip It

Below is an excellent article from Experiencelife.com about how drinking soda affects the body.

The effect on the teeth is just as dramatic. After drinking a soda, plaque germs will continue to make acid on the teeth for twenty minutes. If that soda is slowly sipped over hours, the acid attack continues. The acid in the soda also weakens and softens the enamel. (This occurs with diet soda, too.)

It is better to have soda with a meal
and to drink it all at one sitting. 

For tooth health after drinking a soda, rinse well with water. Wait at least 30 minutes to an hour before brushing.

Please view the article about soda at: https://experiencelife.com/article/this-is-your-body-on-soda/

This blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Please see your medical or dental professional if you aren't feeling well!

You are what you drink

Walk around with water

I was not surprised to read about a recent research study out of Australia that concluded "diet" beverages are bad for the teeth. Sugar has long taken the blame for contributing to cavities, and deservedly so, but sugar is not solely to blame. Plaque also has to be present because plaque converts that sugar into acid on the teeth.

While beverages like diet soda contain sugar substitutes plaque germs
can't use to make acid, these drinks themselves contain acid (usually citric, carbonic or phosphoric.) Acid, whether it is made by plaque or in the drink itself, will erode enamel.

It doesn't matter to teeth where the acid comes from. Sipping on an acidic diet drink all day, in terms of the affect on the teeth, is just as bad as sipping on a sugary drink. The only benefit of most diet drinks is the elimination of the sugar and there are many who would argue that sugar substitutes are just as bad for overall health.

Diet Soda - Phosphoric and Citric Acids
Photo: Y. Mikalopas

The best rule of thumb is this: Drink any drink that is NOT water with a meal. Otherwise, drink water. You can't go wrong with water because it is the only drink that is both sugar and acid free.

(Did you know that black coffee and tea are acidic - about a pH of 5, but that green and herbal teas are close to water, about a pH of 7.)

This blog is not intended to treat or diagnose any dental or medical condition - see your dentist or doctor if you need help!

Happy Halloween!

Scary Tooth Tales and Tips for a Healthy and Happy Halloween

What is the scariest thing I ever saw in someone’s mouth, a young boy at a school I was visiting once asked me. My answer: nothing. No teeth. From years of dental neglect, the patient had dentures.

I want candy!

I tell kids that plaque is like a ghost. Like other germs you can’t see it, at first, but plaque will make its presence known. The teeth start to look yellow and feel fuzzy, the breath starts to stink.  So when plaque moves in, the sooner you get rid of it, the better since plaque causes other trouble, too – rotten teeth and bloody gums. Your toothbrush and floss are your daily plaque fighting friends. If plaque germs are ignored, they get really stubborn and then you’ll need help from the plaque and cavity hunters – your dental hygienist or dentist.

But enough scary stories. Halloween is fun for both children and adults and is really all about the candy.

Here are some ways to enjoy your Halloween and keep your mouth healthy:

• Go ahead and have some candy. It’s a holiday, after all, the best reason to indulge a little.

• Brush your teeth or have your children brush their teeth BEFORE they break into their goody bags. This removes the plaque germs, which in combination with sugar causes cavities. The less plaque, the less acid being formed. Brush again after treats to remove the sugar from the mouth and teeth. It doesn’t take long for plaque to grow again. (For more on how cavities form see my post at http://bit.ly/1MHrPlS)

• Avoid sticky, chewy candies. These stick to the teeth and are hard to get off even with brushing: Think tootsie rolls, jelly beans, candy corn, fruit rolls, fruit chews. (There is nothing “fruit” about them except the name and maybe the shape or color.)

• Even worse: “sour” candies. Not only sticky and sugary, these have lots of acid in them, too. Combining candy and soda is also bad for the same reason.

• If your children are young, you control the candy. You’re going to check it before you let them eat it anyway, so ditch the really sticky stuff. Candy that dissolves fast and rinses easily with water, like chocolate or pixie sticks, are better. Chocolate, especially the dark kind, has less sugar and at least a smidgen of health benefits from the cocoa.

• Consider giving trick-or-treaters sugar-free gums or lollipops, or non-snack items like stickers, tattoos, pens, pencils, small pads, little toys, etc. When I was a kid there was a lady that gave out pennies, nickels, dimes and, sometimes, quarters! We all have a big jar of change somewhere in the house, don’t we?

• See if your local pediatrician or pediatric dentist has a candy “buy back” program. Offices that do this will exchange candy for non food “treasures” or sometimes even money.

• On October 31, unwrap a new toothbrush for yourself and your child. When shopping for Halloween candy, buy floss. Holidays can become an opportunity to get into the habit to do something healthy for yourself and your family.

• Have sugar-free gum around to “wean” yourself off the sugar the day after Halloween. For myself, this is key. It’s so hard to stop when the yummy stuff is around.

Holiday season, here we go!

This blog is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition. Please see your doctor or dentist if you need treatment. I want candy! photo: Y. Mikalopas