Choosing a topic for the blog can be a challenge, but this week it seemed obvious to me – sports drinks. I’m writing this just days after spending a significant amount of time volunteering to organize the Tulip Festival Road Race. In organizing a running event, sports drinks are expected to be provided at the end of the event if short or during the event if a longer distance. As a dentist, it concerns me to see how much people have begun to rely on sports drinks and believe they are healthy.
Sports drink companies market their products as critical in replenishing lost electrolytes from exercise and enhancing performance. They market them to athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and non-athletes seeking hydration with an energy boost. Unfortunately, there can be detrimental effects on teeth from sugar, high acidity, and dry mouth.
The primary negative effect of sports drinks is from high sugar content. Sugar is used to enhance taste and the ease of drinking. Sugars fuel bacteria present in the mouth, which creates acid that erodes the enamel of teeth. Enamel is the protective, hard, outer surface of teeth and erosion process is called demineralization which leads to cavities.
The secondary negative effect of sports drinks is acidity. Not only due to bacteria forming acid with sugars, but the sports drinks themselves are highly acidic. Prolonged exposure to acidity causes tooth enamel to weaken and increase the risk for decay.
A third negative effect is dry mouth. This may sound odd since sports drinks are made to hydrate and quench thirst, but sports drinks can sometimes have the opposite effect. The high sugar and sodium content can lead to increased thirst and dry mouth. A dry mouth significantly increases the risk of decay because there is less saliva to wash away bacteria and buffer the acidity from the drink. Saliva is the mouth’s natural defense mechanism against cavities.
The following are a few practical tips to decrease the risk of sports drinks. The first is moderation. Electrolyte replenishment is not typically needed for short periods of exercise unless high intensity or high temperatures leading to sweat loss. Except in those situations, sports drinks are not necessary. It is better to just drink water in shorter, less intense exercise settings.
Minimizing the amount of time the sport drink contacts the teeth can counter negative effects. One way to do this is to drink quickly and straight down rather than swishing it around your mouth. The second way is to use a straw. Neither of these is perfect but they can help decrease the concentration of the sports drink on your teeth and the duration the drink is insulting the protective enamel.
Low sugar variations such as Gatorade Zero and Powerade Zero can be better than the regular high sugar types, but they continue to have high acidity so are only slightly better. Water is the even better option.
Immediately after drinking a sports drink, swish and swallow plain water. This will dilute the sugars and buffer the acidity that is covering your teeth. Mouthwash can also be effective to counter the negative effects of sports drinks. Many people think to brush their teeth immediately after sports drinks, but this can have a detrimental effect. The acidity weakens the enamel which allows a toothbrush to abrade the outer surface. It is best to wait 30 minutes before using a toothbrush.
Hopefully this overview of sports drinks will make you think twice about how much you drink them and ways to mitigate the damage they can cause.
Blog post written by Dr. Joiner and previously published in the Capital Democrat Staying Healthy series.
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