Fruit teas can drastically damage your teeth, study finds. Yet, fruit teas like lemon and ginger tea could actually be doing considerable damage to your teeth, a new study has found.
The research conducted by scientists at King’s College in London has found that sipping on acidic drinks like fruit tea and flavoured water can damage the enamel and wear away your teeth.
The study, published in the British Dental Journal, looked at the diet of over 300 people who had ‘severe erosive tooth wear’. It found that tooth erosion from acid increased the more drinks they consumed. These drinks included cordials, fruits teas, fruit squashes, sugared drinks and flavoured water which are all acidic.
The research added that holding these drinks in your mouth before swallowing or continuously sipping can further damage the enamel of your teeth. People who consumed water with lemon, or hot fruit teas between meals were 11 times as likely to have severe tooth erosion as people who didn’t.
However if the drinks were consumed at the same time as meals then this figure was halved. This is because eating produces saliva, which is alkaline and combats the acidity of these drinks.
So what’s the solution? Neutral drinks like water and milk are fine for your teeth, whilst eating neutralising foods – like cheese – after an acidic drink can help stop erosion. Alternatively, just cut down the time it takes you to drink your fruit tea, as that can combat the wear too.
Dr. Banić