Sports Drinks V's Teeth
BonusB
Posts: 279
in General Chat
Recently went and got my teeth looked at, the dentist decided to xray my teeth and subsequently found a number of occult cavities caused by micro holes in my tooth enamel. Never having had fillings before we narrowed the cause down to one thing; sports drinks. Given the level of decay and timing it coincided with my taking up triathlon and regularly drinking this stuff.
I was wondering if any one had any recommendations for non acidic sports drinks, Taut is the only one I know and is premix only thus expensive. If anyone has any effective recipies for mixing up your own stuff that would be great as well.
I can't be the only person this affects. Can I? [X(]
[;)]
I was wondering if any one had any recommendations for non acidic sports drinks, Taut is the only one I know and is premix only thus expensive. If anyone has any effective recipies for mixing up your own stuff that would be great as well.
I can't be the only person this affects. Can I? [X(]
[;)]
0
Comments
Im wondering, when you say it coincides with you taking up triathlon (and assuming you didnt train as much as you do now), could it be your bodies lacking nutrients now?
defences becoming weaker? Just a thought.
Mike
Ihave an incredibly healthy diet plus I do take a multi vit, but I suppose it could be that I'm missing something somewhere, I just dont know what. My dentist was in agrement that the most likely cause are the sports drinks and I know 220 has made references to the damage these drinks can do in the past.
I have seen really sever cases of tooth damage due to this! The worst case was a swimmer who was using poweraide during every training session.
The rule of thumb is use power drinks as little as you can. If you are training for less than an hour you shouldnt be using power drinks anyway. If you do have to use a powerdrink then avoid the cheaper ones. Stick to the ones with more complex carbohydrates. Also clean your teeth BEFORE you go out. (NOT after!!)
I try and recommend my patients to only use power drinks when actually racing.
I am happy to bore everyone for hours about this subject so if you want more info I will try to answer any questions!
Let me clarify before any on starts thinking I'm a grubby pup! My oral hygene is very good. I've gone 27 years with no need for fillings upto this point. Hence the reason I'm so annoyed now, especially as I have made many lifestyle choices like cutting out fizzy drinks for water, unless it has hops or barely in it[8D]
Oops! Didnt for one minute assume you were a grubby pup BB. As I said , I hope a professional answered your question as well.
I rarely touch these drinks myself (high five and jelly babies seem to keep me going) for the very reason you are talking about.
This will not solve the problem but should lessen the damage caused by these drinks.
Theoretically the chlorine can cause the ph in your mouth to drop causing acid erosion. Personally I think you would have to try really hard to damage your teeth due to chlorine.
The reason why we say not to brush teeth AFTER any exposure to acid is that the surface of the teeth becomes decalcified and soft for a short period of time. If you brush following this the soft layer is removed by the mechanical force from the brush.
So the rule of thumb is to brush prior to any eating or exposure to any acids and use a fluoride mouthwash after.
On the bottles which have a pull-up spout you can punch the centre out and insert some clear tubing.
Buy the thin tubing from B & Q approx 60p metre. The thick one requires too much suction.
Soften the pipe in warm water to get it in the hole and push down to the bottom of the bottle.
Cut the end at an angle to stop it sealing against the base.
With a screw top bottle make a hole with a hot screwdriver.
You can then tape the top end to your clothing or handlebars.
Jufty, I'll be trying your tip out! Cheers!
If you are really concerned (which it sounds like you are...and I totally understand where you're coming from), take some sugar free chewing gum with you on rides. Obviously be careful not to choke on the stuff, and certainly not during races, but certainly for longer base miles this works well.
Have fun!