You may have noticed many people drinking cold beverages like lemonades by using straws or maybe enjoying drinks at bars from transparent white straws. Cold beverages consist of acids and sugar which harm your teeth.
But many of you have an impression that by using straws you can protect the effects of acid on teeth. The question is- Does using a straw “really” help or it’s just a myth?
So first you should be aware of what different cold beverages consist of :
Most of the drinks have a high content of acid and sugar. These drinks are very detrimental which causes problems like tooth decay and cavities. If you do not maintain proper cleanliness of teeth it can lead to some major teeth problems.
Example of few beverages and their content are :
- Soda Drinks – Excessive acid and sugar content
- Sports Drinks – Excessive acid and sugar content
- Citrus/Lemon Drinks – Excessive sugar content
- Alcoholic Drinks – Excessive acid content
Table of Contents
Use Of Straw
You might believe that straw would help you to maintain your healthy teeth but let me correct you here, it’s just a false perception or says a widespread myth. Therefore you must be aware why using straw would not help.
Below are some reasons which would help you to know about real facts about using straw :
Straws-Inside Story
Imagine how you place your straw whenever you use it to drink cold drinks and beverages. Most probably, you place it beneath your front teeth and in the front of your tongue.
This lets you enjoy the tasty flavor of your beverages like soda drinks, coffee or red or white wine. But this does very little help to prevent your white teeth because your whole mouth is now also full of the beverage.
The use of straws lead to many harmful effects which are described below :
1. Cavities And Tooth Decay
The sugar and acid from sodas and the wine respectively still touches the teeth even when you are drinking via a straw.
It may still be having an impact on your molars, which is the most prone area for cavities to occur, even your front teeth will have to suffer from problems like tooth decay and may also lead to stains.
Make A Note Here Now– Only if you place the straw in a way that you don’t enjoy the taste in your mouth, this does a little to protect your teeth. And practically it is not possible to do so and not to enjoy the drink which would suppress the real purpose of having a drink.
2. Skin Crumples
Using straw for drinking may also lead to skin crumples on the face. When you suck the liquid using a straw that action is the same action which is used by smokers while they puff a cigarette.
This sucking action may lead to lines called as wrinkles on the face above the upper area of lips that is popularly called as smokers line.
3. Gas Problem
When you use straws to drink it can also affect one’s digestive ability of the system in a harmful way. Each time when you drink in (suck) through a straw, then in addition to your favorite beverage you also intake or consume small air bubbles, pockets formed while drinking the liquid. It can result in bloating inside stomach and gas problems.
4. Coffee
Sipping coffee with cream and sugar throughout the day is one of the biggest issues of that. The good news is that you don’t really have to stop sipping your lattes. The problem is that the harmful sugars stay in your saliva when you’re constantly sipping over a long period of time.
It is recommended simply keep a glass of water with you and alternate between coffee and water throughout the day. This will wash out your mouth and prevent your saliva from becoming too sugary and eating away at your teeth.
You may also want to consider sipping from a straw to help bypass your teeth a little more, but to keep the sugar out of your saliva you’ll still need to drink water in between sips.
If you can’t get a toothbrush, grab a bottle of water and swish! When you’re finished with that delicious cup of joy, make sure to rinse out your mouth.
5. Sour Candy And Sodas
You just have to stop swishing soda around in your mouth, if you’re doing it, and limit the amount of sour candy you eat. We’re all well aware of how sugary sodas are bad for teeth, but more recently it was discovered that sour candies have a level of acid similar to a car battery.
They may be tasty, but you don’t want that sour sugar hanging around in your teeth. Brush it out if you have the opportunity and limit your intake. Your teeth will appreciate it.
Other Good Options
There are other good ways to protect your teeth and that beautiful smile than drinking using a straw.
1. Avoid Acidic And Sugary Beverages
The best can be to avoid the acidic and sugary drinks as much as you can and instead go for less harmful drinks.
2. Flossing
Yet another thing you should be doing at least once a day is flossing. This is a great way for stains to hide in between your teeth without you even realizing it.
To prevent that from happening you need to make sure you keep up with the flossing to remove any unwanted food/drink stains from the entire day.
3. Dentist Visits
Mark your calendars, because keeping up with those bi-annual dentist appointments is v important for those pesky stains.
They’ll help you figure out what will work best for your teeth and how you can benefit from different products. This is a simple solution because they are here to help you.
4. Use Of Mouthwash
It doesn’t matter what type of mouthwash you use, but if you’ve already experienced the staining of your teeth then I would recommend something that has whitening properties in it.
This will help enforce your beautiful smile after brushing and flossing (and keep that breath fresh).
5. Glass Of Water
Always try to get a glass of water after you finish having your drinks and beverage. This is because water neutralizes the acid and sugar preventing your teeth.
6. Use Of OTC Drugs
For those who are already seeing the negative effects of stains and have not been taking the proper steps to prevent them, there are some ways to reverse the damage.
Over-the-counter bleaching products can be tough on sensitive teeth, but overall will help reverse the yellowing of your shiny teeth.
7. Sugarless Gum
You can also opt for chewing a gum which is sugarless. The more amount of the saliva that is produced due to it also has an effect in neutralizing the sugar and acid in your beverages.
8. Don’t Smoke
If you’re a smoker, coffee is the least of your worries when it comes to tooth staining. Plain and simple: tobacco stains your teeth.
9. Brush Teeth Afterwards
Also, you should brush the teeth after having your drink. Brushing should be done after half an hour to avoid harming the teeth when they are most endangered.
Brushing will remove the acid and sugar on the teeth surface thus reducing the chances of cavities and tooth decays.
So, you see the use of straws does not eliminate ill effects caused by cold beverages but just reduces them by a bit.
Therefore it is important to be cautious about oral health and avoid cold and acidic beverages. You must take care of your teeth to maintain that beautiful smile on your face.
