A Drink to Dental Health The Truth About Sparkling Water
Soda sales are down, and sparkling water sales are up. Health-minded individuals are turning away from sugar-filled sodas and juices, replacing them with fizzy alternatives such as La Croix and Perrier. These beverages offer all the bubbles without the guilt, but are they any safer for our teeth ? Sodas and juices are highly acidic. Combine that with sugar, and you have the ultimate recipe for tooth decay. Remove the sugars and acidic ingredients, such as citric acid, and you are left with a very different sort of drink.
we consume every day and their impact on tooth enamel. The study found that sports drinks were the worst offenders, or “extremely erosive,” with sodas trailing close behind. Researchers also found that sparkling water was “minimally erosive” when it came to the impact on tooth enamel. Dr. Edmond Hewlett, a professor with the UCLA School of Dentistry and consumer advisor with the American Dental Association, says that, sugars aside, the acidity in sparkling water is significantly less than sodas, juices and other similar drinks. The carbon dioxide bubbles in sparkling water (which become carbonic acid when consumed) are weaker than the acids found in other drinks. The bubbles are not a danger to tooth enamel. If regularly consumed over a long period of time, however, sparkling water may have
an erosive effect. But for a vast majority of the population, this is a nonissue.
The important takeaway from the JADA study is that sugar-free sparkling water is a healthier alternative to soda, juice, sports
drinks, and other beverages high in sugars and acid
content. That includes beverages marketed as diet (they may lack sugar, but they are still highly acidic). The next time you reach for a bubbly and refreshing sparkling water, you can know you are making a good choice for your body and teeth.
A 2016 study featured in the
Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) took a close look at the erosive properties of beverages
HAVE A
Laugh
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES Ritz Cracker Make the most of these last few summer weeks and wrangle the kids for this fun, easy dessert! You can even save the leftovers in the freezer for those busy back-to-school nights.
Ingredients
Recipe inspired by joythebaker.com.
• 4 ounces dark chocolate pieces, melted
• 24 Ritz (or generic butter round) crackers • 1 pint of your favorite ice cream
Directions
1. Melt chocolate pieces in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir until smooth and drippy. 2. Arrange crackers, bottom side up, on a cookie sheet. Use fork to drizzle melted chocolate over crackers, then place them in freezer to cool quickly. 3. Remove crackers from freezer and place small ice cream scoop
in the center of 12 crackers. Press remaining crackers, chocolate side down, onto the ice cream scoop.
4. Freeze at least four hours before serving. Wrap
individual sandwiches in plastic wrap to store in freezer for up to seven days; but they’ll never last that long.
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