Sodas are a favorite to pair with food during meals and Diet Coke is one of the most popular sodas to drink since Diet Coke tastes great and has less sugar.
While Diet Coke may be a bit healthier than regular Coke, can Diet Coke rot your teeth? I did the research, and here is what I found.
Does Diet Coke Rot Your Teeth?
Diet Coke is highly acidic, which ruins the enamel in teeth and makes teeth more prone to tooth decay, tooth erosion, and cavities. Sugar-free drinks like Diet Coke are usually high in tartaric or citric acid and phosphoric acid, which are acids that weaken the teeth and may lead to teeth rotting over time.
What is in Diet Coke that ruins teeth and how can we avoid it? Keep reading to find out!
Does Diet Coke Stain Your Teeth?
Diet Coke contains phosphoric acid and chromogens, which are two ingredients that are responsible for tooth staining from sodas.
Phosphoric acid weakens the tooth enamel and leaves teeth vulnerable.
Additionally, chromogens are responsible for Diet Coke’s dark color, and the weakened tooth enamel caused by the phosphoric acid makes it easier for the chromogens to stick to teeth.
Moreover, these chromogens cause your teeth to look yellow and dingy over time, makes teeth lose their opacity, and make your teeth feel chalky in texture.
While staining does not happen overnight, especially from a single can of Diet Coke, continually drinking Diet Coke for long periods will eventually affect how your teeth look.
Does Regular Coke Rot Your Teeth?
Regular Coke and any regular soda is high in sugar, and sugar feeds the bacteria that cause tooth decay.
If sugar-free Coke can ruin teeth, so can regular Coke, and regular Coke can cause double the damage to your teeth because regular Coke is high in sugar and acid.
Each sip of soda causes a 20-minute reaction to the teeth, especially if the soda is loaded with sugars and acids.
That’s why your teeth are under constant attack if you sip soda all day since the high amounts of sugars and acids are at work.
Does Diet Coke Cause Cavities?
Diet Coke can cause cavities because Diet Coke still contains acids that damage teeth.
Cavities are caused by bacteria, and bacteria break down teeth through acids, which are present in Diet Coke.
Acids weaken the enamel and make it a threshold for bacteria to grow and create a cavity. Continually drinking Diet Coke also means constantly giving access to bacteria to destroy your teeth.
Additionally, acids do not just stop at the enamel because acids also ruin the dentin, which is the next layer of protection of the teeth after the enamel.
Once the acids attack the dentin, the acids will attack the composite fillings of the teeth, which is what invites the cavities to start growing. Cavities grow bigger and faster in an acidic environment.
While Diet Coke may not have as much sugar, Diet Coke contains more acids that will still put your teeth at risk of damage.
How Do You Minimize Teeth Rotting with Diet Coke?
If you want to keep drinking Diet Coke, you can try to minimize how much your teeth rot.
Remember, these tips will not stop tooth decay, but these tips will help minimize the damages done to your teeth.
Opt to drink your Diet Coke through a straw to lessen the contact between the Diet Coke and your teeth. That way, the Diet Coke misses your teeth and goes directly into your throat.
Always drink water after drinking Diet Coke to wash out the remaining traces of Diet Coke in your mouth.
Avoid brushing your teeth immediately after drinking Diet Coke because brushing your teeth immediately can spread the acids on your teeth.
Instead, wait at least 30 minutes after drinking Diet Coke to let your mouth restore its natural pH levels then you can brush your teeth.
Additionally, you can drink your Diet Coke in one sitting to shorten the time that the Diet Coke touches your teeth.
Dairy-rich food and drinks help neutralize the acids present in your Diet Coke, so you can eat a bit of cheese or drink some milk after you drink Diet Coke.
Check out our other articles to find out if Coke dehydrates you, if Coke removes hair dye, and if Coke removes rust.
Conclusion
While Diet Coke contains less sugar than regular Coke, Diet Coke still has enough acids to make your teeth rot over time.
Drinking Diet Coke in moderation is key while using a straw, drinking water, etc., can help minimize the damage Diet Coke can do to your teeth.