Diet Soda as Corrosive as Meth

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, diet soda and methamphetamine can cause the same type of damage to your teeth.

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Brushing is important.  So is avoiding corrosive acids.

Tooth enamel (the outside, white part of your tooth) can be worn away from acidic foods and substances.  Foods we eat every day wear on our enamel: fruit, juice, candy, refined breads and pastas, etc.  Brushing and flossing your teeth regularly helps remove this normal build-up.

All soda (or pop) is acidic, but diet versions are even more so.  You can find a breakdown of the pH levels in different brands here: Quitting Soda.

The AGD's report Soda and Illegal Drugs Cause Similar Damage to Teeth, concludes that the corrosive properties of meth and excessive diet soda consumption are very similar and that these similarities "should be a wake up call to consumers."

The diet soda drinker the comparison refers to did drink what seems like an absurd amount of soda: roughly two liters a day for three to five years.  But when I think of how much soda I used to drink in high school (4-7 cans a day), it equals to around a liter or more a day!  So maybe it isn't that far-fetched.  

The AGD gives a few recommendations to help your tooth enamel stay healthy:

1. Drink less soda (diet or regular)
2. Drink more water
3. Rinse your mouth with water after drinking soda (and after eating for that matter)

Keep those teeth healthy!