The Truth About Carbonated & Sparkling Water Drinks

Sparkling water drinks are gaining in popularity as a low calorie, low carb, low sugar alternative to drinks like sodas. Even alcoholic beverages are now being made with carbonated water to offer health-conscious alternatives to other mixed drinks. In some cases, the latest “health” fad isn’t always great for your smile or your whole body health. While carbonation can cause beverages to increase in acidity, studies show that carbonated water may not be any worse for your teeth than regular water. In this post, we’ll discuss some important things to remember when choosing your carbonated water and how keeping up with regular at-home hygiene and preventive dentistry visits can help you keep your smile healthy.

Sparkling Water is Better for Your Teeth Than Sodas

Even if further research shows that carbonated and sparkling water drinks do have some increased acidity compared with the traditional water, they are still significantly better for your oral health than other carbonated beverages. Sodas, beer, and soda water all have sugars and other acidic compounds in addition to the increased acidity of carbon that make them harder on tooth enamel than plain carbonated water.

Don’t Forget to Drink Plenty of Regular Water Too

Even though sparkling water doesn’t seem to adversely affect teeth, you should still drink plenty of noncarbonated water or flat water. Regular water, especially fluoridated tap water, is the best thing to drink for your teeth at all ages, but the fluoride in tap water is especially important for kids who are still developing their primary and adult teeth. Bottled waters and sparkling waters (unless specified) do not contain fluoride, so make sure kids who drink only not fluoridated waters are getting their fluoride from other sources.

Beware of the Hidden Ingredients

Finally, the water and the carbonation may not adversely affect your tooth enamel, but some of the other ingredients just might. Before you buy a sparkling water drink, check the label for added ingredients. Citrus and fruit flavored waters often have higher acidity than other options. Those sparkling beverages that add sugar can no longer be labeled as simply carbonated water, so you should recognize these. However, you should check the ingredients to be sure.

Meet the Renu Dental Team

At Renu Dental of Crookston, we offer a wide range of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry solutions to meet every need, but our team creates personalized oral health care plans focused on prevention. Our caring team members help patients understand how their daily habits, diet, and oral hygiene all play a part in keeping their smiles healthy. If you want to learn more about oral health and hygiene or schedule an appointment, call our team today. We look forward to hearing from you.