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Dental Erosion and Dietary Acids
We hope you will appreciate this information about "dietary acids" and "dental erosion". Dental erosion is a loss of tooth structure caused by dietary acids, not involving sugars or bacteria. Dental erosion can be caused by soft drinks, fruit juices, coffee, tea, beer, wine, most sports drinks, and chewing gum.
A pH measurement symbolizes the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Any measurement below seven is considered acidic. The lower the number, the more severe the acid concentration, and the more damage to the teeth.
Here is a list of commonly consumed foods and drinks and their pH measurements (approximated).
| Beverage/Food |
pH measurement |
| Milk (skim) |
7 |
| Chapel Hill tap water |
7 |
| Coffee (regular, nondecaf) |
5 |
| Prego spaghetti sauce |
5 |
| Bud Light |
5 |
| Iced tea |
5 |
| Gerber infant pear juice |
4 - 5 |
| Seltzers |
4 - 5 |
| Fresh fruit (grapefuits, oranges, grapes) |
3 - 4 |
| Fruit juices |
3 - 4 |
| Grape Kool-Aid |
3 - 4 |
| Soft drinks (soda/pop) |
3 - 4 |
| BBQ sauce |
4 |
| Picante sauce |
4 |
| Ketchup |
4 |
| Dill pickle |
4 |
| Vinegar |
2 |
| Hydrochloric Acid (stomach acid) |
1 - 2 |
| Do's |
Don'ts |
| Drink acidic liquids through a straw. |
Do not suck on citrus fruits or candies such as lemon wedges or drops. |
| Use a daily fluoride rinse when indicated or recommended. |
Do not chew "chewable" vitamin C tablets for more than one week. |
| Rinse with water after eating acidic foods. For example, an orange. |
Do not sip on acidic drinks throughout the day - try to drink them with a meal. |
| Eat acidic foods or drinks while eating other foods such as bread, cheese, milk, etc., to help neutralize the acids. |
Do not eat or drink extremely acidic foods, if possible. |
| Substitute water for acidic drinks whenever possible. |
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Note: Frequency and duration of dietary acids is more important than the severity of acid concentration.
Note: Dry mouth conditions resulting from some medical conditions or medications accelerate the effects of erosion, especially on worn biting and root surfaces.
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