Best Drinks for Teeth

Universal pH scale. This will 

help you to gain a better 

understanding of what 

can generally be considered

 acidic vs alkaline in the future.

Your teeth are the strongest bones in your body but are also the most vulnerable to degradation. What you choose to drink can either help or harm the enamel on your teeth. When enamel gets weak and breaks down you are at higher risk of developing or worsening tooth decay. Enamel does not regenerate easily when it wears away, therefore it is very important to protect it. 

The acidity level in all drinks and food are measured on the common pH scale seen below, with 7 and up being neutral and anything 5.5 or under being acidic. Water has a neutral pH level and is, therefore, the number one go-to drink choice for overall oral and basic health.

Fluoridated water especially can aid in the strengthening of tooth enamel. The ingestion of fluoride is often a controversial subject amongst some, therefore you may opt to go for a fluoridated mouthwash as an alternative. In addition t water, there are many beverages out there that can either help or hurt your teeth.

Milk is an excellent choice of beverage for tooth care, high in calcium, milk aids in strengthening and protecting tooth enamel by providing the vitamins that teeth need the most. Another great beverage that contributes to oral care is unsweetened tea, tea provides caffeine found in soda and coffee albeit has lower acidity levels. The acidic levels in natural tea are quite lower than in coffee, even when made very strong.

Drinks such as sports drinks, soda, and fruit juice have very high acidity levels as the pH level is typically under 5.5. This can have damaging effects on your teeth and enamel. Sports drinks contain high levels of sugar typically have a pH of 3 or lower. While they assist in re-hydration, these drinks have the potential to damage enamel. Soda often has a similar pH level of 3 or lower and is typically very high in sugar.

Just as noteworthy, fruit juice often has just as much sugar as sodas with around the same pH level to boot. Fresh, whole fruit and freshly squeezed fruit juice are a much better alternative to these processed fruit juices as the sugar is far less concentrated. 

If you do drink soda, juice, or a similar beverage, it is a good idea to drink them with water. This helps to balance out the pH of your mouth thereby returning the environment to more neutral levels. It is also not a bad idea to use a straw when drinking these drinks. This isn't as beneficial as avoiding these drinks altogether, however it does help to counteract some of the negative side effects associated with high acidity levels and sugar content.

"File:PH Scale.svg"by InverseHypercube is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Iron and Fluoride Simularities

Irons and fluoride are similar in a surprising number of ways. To begin, they are both metals that act  in a similar way when introduced to the body. Humans have long known that fluoride can help to strengthen teeth. Did you know that beaver's teeth naturally go through a type of treatment similar to ours with fluoride? Instead of fluoride, the metal that makes their teeth so strong is iron.

Scientists have long wondered how beaver teeth are so strong. On the surface, they appear to be no different than the teeth of any other mammal. Despite this, no other teeth could hold up as long as beavers teeth given the same circumstances. Recently, scientists took a closer look at the composition of beavers' teeth. In these studies, the researchers found some startling results. As it just so happens, beavers actually incorporate iron into their teeth via the food they eat. This made complete sense to the scientist since beavers consume iron in their primary diet consisting of bark, foliage, twigs and aquatic plants.

To make use of this information, we must first understand a few basics of enamel. Tooth enamel looks like a solid structure to the naked eye. In reality, enamel consists of very small weaves. In this way, the enamel is similar to something hand weaved. The reason for this being hidden in the basic structure of the enamel itself, which formed by threads resting against each other. It's different from weaving in that tooth enamel makes use of its own filling agent that acts as a glue.

The way our bodies go about making teeth increases their strength while giving them their fully solid appearance. This process is also how fluoride works to substitute calcium in the strength of teeth when used in moderation. Beavers are interesting creatures this way in that they have evolved to incorporate iron in their teeth because of how much they use them. This dietary iron consumed by beavers essentially creates a microscopic metal plating that protects their teeth from wear. With this information at hand, is it possible we could apply this metal plating to humans?

There are actually a number of ways a person could introduce iron into their teeth. The biggest issue at the moment comes from color. Even small amounts of iron will change the color of one's teeth. Most would prefer going without than to be stuck with metallic plated teeth.

The scientists in this study stressed that color is really only a small issue. At the moment, iron treatment is a possibility, but it will always come with discoloration. In fact, the same technique could work with any metal. In the end, it's just a matter of time until we discover a dental metal plating treatment.

"Found it!"by NaturesFan is licensed under CC BY 2.0