Smart Summer Sipping

post by Synergy Dental Group

By Kaylin Stall

cheers to smarter summer sipping

With the weather warming up outside and so many opportunities to get together with friends and family to enjoy the beautiful area we live in we want to help you make healthy choices all summer long. In our first blog of this series we are going to focus on beverages and how to practice smarter summer sipping.

When you want to cool off at a summer BBQ, baseball game, or at one of the local farmers markets you may reach for a cool refreshing drink but what you may not be aware of is the impact that these drinks can have on your dental health. Some drinks can have up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in a single serving and the average adult male should only consume 6 teaspoons of sugar a DAY and the average women only 6 teaspoons a DAY. That much of a sugar hit in a fast digesting drink can have large negative effect on your teeth as well as your overall health. A few options to help when drinking juices are adding sparkling water to your juices to dilute the sugar content to help your overall health but be aware that any carbonated beverage will have a negative impact on your teeth. Carbonation pulls minerals from your teeth which leads them weak to possible decay. When it comes to sipping on alcohol you should be aware of the pH content which is a scale of how acidic it is, white wine has a pH range around 3, red wine around 5, and beer has a range around 4.

You can make smart choices with all your beverage choices by following our simple tips

  1. Limit the amount of time the beverage makes contact with your teeth, now this is a easy step to follow with your morning coffee by adding a straw but you may get funny looks if you begin to sip your merlot with a straw so instead try to not sip any drink for a prolonged time.
  2. Follow up any drink with water, back to the pH scale water has a neutral pH of 7 which can help balance out the pH of your mouth
  3. Make smart snacking options by pairing low pH drinks with higher pH foods. Great examples are cucumbers, carrots, kale, avocados and almonds. And for those that can tolerate dairy cheese has a pH balancing affect and it is a good source of calcium. Wine and cheese anyone
  4. To make water more exciting try infusing your water with different fruits and veggies. Great examples are cucumber and mint water, strawberry and lime, watermelon and berry.
  5. Chew xylitol gum or mints after a sugary drink. Xylitol will help stimulate saliva production and the bacteria that produce cavities cannot grow in the presence of xylitol.

Now that you have these simple tips you can enjoy the warm weather all summer long

Cheers to smarter summer sipping

Synergy Dental Group

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