This news can hurt: you should rethink the obligatory reach for the sports drink in the gym for the sake of your health. Because the sour drink attacks your teeth!
It is in vogue, and this is hardly surprising: the modern version of the sports drink is enjoying increasing popularity. Its invention is barely more than 50 years old, but it has taken the increasingly fitness-minded world by storm: the mostly isotonic drink is refreshing, often tastes delicious and always brings the energy balance up to speed.
So, it's hardly surprising that it has become the most popular sparring partner. However, if you want to challenge and promote your body in the gym or outdoors, you should definitely use the sports drink in moderation!
Because: the acidic drinks attack the teeth - and are no less harmful than the much-maligned soft drink! So, if you think you are pampering your body by getting it moving and hydrating it with sports drinks, you are mistaken. At least as far as the latter is concerned.
Dr Hannah Selzner, dentist and medical advisor to SWISSDENT, puts it in a nutshell: «Many patients think that they are doing their teeth some good if they abstain from sweet drinks. In doing so, they overlook the danger to dental health posed by acids. While sugar causes harmful bacteria to multiply, acid breaks down the tooth surface.»
To understand this in more detail, we need a short excursion into chemistry: acids are chemical compounds that contain hydrogen and react to their environment. If they now meet teeth or the tooth surface, which consists of a mineral substance, components are dissolved out of the tooth, so-called ions. This means that the tooth substance is attacked, and the tooth is really eaten away as a result. So-called «erosions» are not only a severe visual impairment but can also lead to painful dental diseases and serious consequential damage.
So, what can be done? The first step can be a professional dietary consultation that reveals hidden traps. The second is a dose adjustment: you don't have to give up all sports drinks, but you should use them selectively and not drink them throughout the day. If you do less than one hour of endurance sports at all, good old water is the best choice!
Proactive care of the teeth promises the greatest added value
For home care, this means: You should definitely use non-abrasive toothpastes, preferably even those that remineralise the enamel! Because: On the one hand, it is important not to expose the teeth to any further «stress» and, on the other hand, to compensate for the damage that has occurred. Toothpastes with a low RDA value help in this context, while toothpastes with abrasive cleaning particles further worsen the general condition.
So, if you like to steel your muscles, you should do the same for your enamel!
Fotos: @unsplash