Are Sports Drinks as Harmful as Sodas to Kids Teeth?

With summers approaching; kids would soon get indulged in outdoor activities. As they play in the hot sun, they will feel more temped to drink sugary sports drinks or energy drinks in large quantity to stay cool and hydrated. Dentists have always been of the view that over-consumption of these sugary beverages harm the child’s teeth, so they advise parents to monitor and limit the number of these drinks. Dentists understand the need of the young athletes to stay hydrated but they also state that young athletes do not necessarily need to intake these sports drinks to replace the carbohydrates, proteins and electrolytes after exercise.

What do the Sports Drinks contain?

Sports Drinks consist of minerals, carbohydrates, electrolytes and flavouring. These drinks are intended to replace the water and electrolytes lost during vigorous exercise or sports activities. But these drinks are usually unnecessary and harmful as they carry extra calories and whereas plain water is still the best energizer. The extra calories in these drinks just result in obesity and dental problems.

What damages can sports drinks cause to our teeth?

Studies show that sports drinks can cause three to eleven times greater enamel damage than carbonated drinks. These drinks can cause following damages to your child’s teeth:

High levels of acidity and sugar concentrations in the sports’ drinks can erode both enamel and roots of the teeth.
Sugar itself does not rot the teeth but the acid that is produced after sugar comes into the contact with certain bacteria in the mouth, rots the teeth.
These drinks are damaging because they get prolonged amount of time washed over the teeth as they are sipped throughout the day.
Acid from these sugary drinks can have an erosive effect on the entire tooth.
The tooth enamel can lose calcium because of acidity present in the sports drinks.
Thee erosive acids in sports’ drinks dissolve even the fluoride rich enamel and cause caries.
What preventive measures can parents take to control the consumption of sports drinks?

Parents can follow below listed preventive measures to save their child’s teeth from getting eroded:

Encourage children to consume water instead of sports drinks.
If children consume sports drinks, they should consume as much water, as water will wash away any residual sports drink and it will not linger on their teeth.
Parents can also encourage their children to dilute drink with water as it will lessen the sugar and acidity concentration.
Reduce the drink size and use a straw to keep the damaging liquid away from your teeth.
Reduce the contact time of sports drink with your teeth by swallowing them immediately.
Do not swish sports drinks around the mouth.
Do not forget to rinse your mouthguards only in water.
Seek out dental friendly sports drinks.
Add-in the slices of fresh fruits like oranges or strawberries to make water more appealing.
You can also offer them low-fat chocolate milk instead, as they also are good at promoting recovery between workouts.
Contact Dr. Bikram Singh DMD to prevent and fight back severe dental problems and save your child from tooth decay or tooth lose.