The negative effects of soda can be hard to swallow

Soda is not good for your health. This is because it contains no essential nutrients no vitamins, minerals, or fiber and regular soda is full of calories.

It could be deduced that drinking sugary soft drinks has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, fatty liver disease, and an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.

What’s more, is that the sugar and acid in soda can do a double whammy on your smile.

So how do sugary sodas damage your teeth?

Regular soda is packed with sugar. One ’12-ounce can of soda’ usually exceeds the recommended daily sugar consumption for adults and contains far more sugar than children should consume in one day. The bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugars in soda, producing acid that attacks your teeth for about 20 minutes after each sip.

Again, sodas that contain caffeine can make you dehydrated, which may lead to cavities, causing dry mouth. Sugar also speeds up the process of dehydration.

Why diet sodas also pose risks.

Drinking diet or sugar-free sodas doesn’t help you avoid all the problems caused by regular soda. While diet sodas and other sugar-free carbonated beverages don’t coat your teeth with sugar is because they are usually highly acidic as are most regular sodas.

Acids are added to most soft drinks for flavor, to improve shelf-life, and to help reduce the growth of bacteria and fungi, as a result, carbonation also adds to the acidity of soft drinks.

These acids can erode and reduce the hardness of the enamel that protects your teeth and lead to tooth decay. So even diet sodas and other sugar-free carbonated beverages can lead to cavities.

Moreso, children’s teeth are especially vulnerable to acid erosion and tooth decay as they have thinner tooth enamel than adults.

So, Here’s how to limit the effects of Soda.

1. Choose other drinks such as water, unsweetened tea, or plain milk
2. Enjoy soda only in moderation
3. If you do drink soda, consume it quickly so it has less time to do damage
4. Limit soda to mealtime, when your mouth produces more saliva
5. Brush your teeth 30 to 60 minutes after a soda
6. Drink water after you consume soda.

Water can help wash away sugar on teeth, and you can make water more flavorful by adding fruit, veggies, or herbs like strawberries, cucumbers, and mint.

In addition to cutting back on drinking soda, you can help counter its effects by continuing to maintain great oral hygiene.
Finally, Brush twice a day for two minutes each time, floss daily, and see your dentist for regular checkups and cleanings.