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“Hi, I’m Bill. I drink orange juice when I wake up in the morning because I really like the fruit of orange trees. I brush my teeth right afterward. My wife is pregnant. She throws up a lot in the morning now, and that really bums me out. I wish she didn’t have to throw up so much. Baby making is tough! Did I mention my wife and I fell in love because we have the same favorite brand of iced tea? I love sipping iced tea. It reminds me of my wife, not to mention how well it wets my parched mouth. My dumb mouth is always dry. The doc I saw at the Super-mart says it has something to do with my blood pressure pills. I take those every night at dinner, along with some soda. I figure as long as I’m healthy drinking orange juice and tea during the day, I can cheat with a little soda at night with a meal, ya know? Work is always so hard, and they keep me late, so I never get to eat until right before I fall asleep, but it’s worth it. We’ve got a baby on the way, and that means I’m going to have to be able to put more soda on the table for the family.”

Ok, I lied. My name is not Bill. It’s Mike. I’m a dentist, and one of my sworn enemies is acid. If you have a strong visual imagination, imagine me jumping out of a third-story building to drop kick a guy with a suit on labeled “ACID.” That’s how much I don’t like acid. It will destroy your teeth. I made up that ridiculous story about Bill to demonstrate how much acid many people unconsciously expose their teeth to throughout a day.

Teeth are strong and powerful. They cut, crunch, munch, mash, and smash. It’s amazing how much abuse they can withstand over a lifetime. However, they have an Achilles heel: ACID.

If you expose teeth to acid, they will dissolve. The surface of the teeth breaks down into little particles that erode away. The teeth lose their color and shape. If you look at many older peoples’ teeth, you will often notice they have lost their luster. They are:

More yellow
Shorter
Rounded off/flattened at the edges or even chipped/cracked
More transparent/thin looking
Scooped out/worn/dented

What happened to those beautiful pearly whites of our youth? ACID.

How common of a problem is this? I see it every day on lots of patients. I’m also painfully aware of the fact that those are just the patients who manage to afford to see me at my dental office. I see patients whose teeth have been trashed by acid, and the only way to fix things is to rehabilitate their whole mouth. That’s difficult. That’s expensive. That takes a long time. What is easier than all of that? Preventing the breakdown of our beautiful teeth in the first place! I vote that we do that instead, and the good news is that I see some patients who successfully keep all their teeth healthy for a lifetime. It is possible if you know what to do!

Where does all this acid that destroys our teeth come from? Well, either you put it in your mouth when you eat and drink, or it comes back out of your stomach in the form of acid reflux/vomiting. If you struggle with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), bulimia, alcoholism, or pregnancy (jk — pregnancy isn’t a struggle, it’s the miracle of life and whatnot), then your teeth are likely dealing with more acid exposure on a regular basis.

What foods and drinks are trying to wreck your teeth with acid? Darling, I thought you’d never ask.

Acid content is measured on the pH scale that runs from 0–14. Low pH = ACID = BAD. Pure distilled water is a neutral pH of 7. Biological pH (the pH of water in our bodies) hovers around 7.4 but can get a little lower in some tissues. The pH of stomach acid can get as low as 1.5. That’s bad news bears for your teeth if any of that stomach makes its way back up into the mouth. Teeth start to break down when pH drops below 5.5.

Teeth are strong and powerful. They cut, crunch, munch, mash, and smash. It’s amazing how much abuse they can withstand over a lifetime. However, they have an Achilles heel: ACID.

Here’s a long list of foods and drinks that can drop the pH in your mouth and kidney punch your teefers right in their weak spot:

Lemon Juice 2–2.6

Wine 2.3–3.8

Sports Drinks 2.3–4.4

Tonic Water 2.5

Soda 2.7–3.5

Oranges 2.8–4

Plums 2.8–4.6

Iced Tea 2.9–3

Strawberries 3–4.2

Grapefruit Juice 3.1–3.2

Vinegar 3.2

Lemon Lime Soda 3.2–3.3

Apple Sauce 3.4

Pineapple Juice 3.4

Apple Juice 3.5

Apples 3.5–3.9

Salad Dressing 3.6

Orange Juice 3.7

White Wine 3.7

Diet Lemon Lime Soda 3.7

Tomatoes 3.7–4.7

Root Beer 3.8–4

Honey 3.9

Tomato Ketchup 3.9

Vegetables 3.9–5.1

Seedless Raisins 4

Beer 4–5

Yogurt 4–4.3

Pears 4.1

Carrot Juice 4.2

Tea (Black) 4.2

Sour Milk 4.2

Bananas — 5.1

Natural Cheese — 5.1

Here is an even more detailed list if you like reading lists of pH values.

So, what are you supposed to do? Swear off food altogether and never eat again? At least you will die with beautiful, white, structurally intact teeth. Don’t worry. There is hope. I’m going to tell you a few more important things, and then I’m going to show you how you can protect your teeth from acid and keep them strong for a lifetime with some simple choices that don’t cost you anything. In fact, those simple choices will “buy” you a beautiful, happy smile for years to come.

Your teeth aren’t completely defenseless against acid exposure. Evolution is a helluva drug. Our mouths come equipped with some fancy pants saliva dispensers to wash all that nasty acid off our teeth. Saliva is also packed with minerals that our teeth can absorb and use to repair. Teeth are made of minerals. Acid takes minerals away; saliva tries to put the minerals back.

That being said, the partner in crime and chief accomplice to acid in the quest to erode, discolor, and weaken your teeth is DRY MOUTH. If you struggle with dry mouth, any acid that gets on your teeth tends to stay there for a longer period of time and break the teeth down more.

One more bit of bad news: if you have a significant amount of acid erosion, you lose the outermost protective layer of the tooth — the white enamel. Once that enamel is gone, you can’t get it back. Even worse, the yellow dentin underneath the enamel is softer and MORE vulnerable to acid, so it will wear down even faster. There is still hope, but if you have lost lots of enamel, NOW is the perfect time to change your habits and start protecting your teeth from more damage and loss.

There is another sneaky way acid destroys your teeth. SUGAR. The bacteria in our mouths break down sugar into, you guessed it, ACID. Not everyone realizes that simple carbohydrates, such as processed flour (in cereal and snacks like crackers and pretzels), also break down into harmful sugars quickly in our mouths. When it comes to protecting your teeth, SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES = SUGAR = ACID. Treat them all with the same level of caution.

How common of a problem is this? I see it every day on lots of patients. I’m also painfully aware of the fact that those are just the patients who manage to afford to see me at my dental office. I see patients whose teeth have been trashed by acid, and the only way to fix things is to rehabilitate their whole mouth. That’s difficult. That’s expensive. That takes a long time. What is easier than all of that? Preventing the breakdown of our beautiful teeth in the first place!

Habits to Protect Your Teeth from Acid

Now that you know what the problem is, how am I going to help you fix it? Stay tuned honey bunny. I got you.

Acid breaks down teeth. The key factor is TIME EXPOSURE. The longer that acid is in contact with the teeth, the faster the teeth will break down.
Swish thoroughly with NEUTRAL pH water (NOT carbonated or flavored “waters”) right away after you have anything acidic to eat or drink. Get that crap-ola off your teeth before it has a chance to do the devil’s work.
Do NOT brush your teeth right after you have something acidic to eat or drink. The acid softens the tooth and starts dissolving it. If you scrub it right away after exposure, you are brushing away the tooth's top layer. Wait at least 30 minutes (45 minutes to an hour is better) after having something acidic before you brush. Always use a SOFT bristle toothbrush and GENTLY massage the teeth and gums—NO rough pushing or scrubbing. Avoid abrasive whitening toothpastes.
If you do try to bargain with the devil and drink the forbidden acidic liquids, use a straw (NOT a plastic one — we’re trying to avoid murdering turtles too!) to bypass your teeth. Do NOT swish soda or any other acidic liquids around in your mouth. Do not suck on acidic foods. Do not sip acidic drinks over extended periods of time. No sucking, sipping, or swishing! You are only allowed to swish with water. That is a direct order from your mother. I am your mother. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Also, just stop drinking soda — it’s the worst.
After you have something to eat or drink that isn’t water, you can also chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production. The more your saliva glands secrete your own personal brand of spittle, the safer your teeth will be. If you have gastrointestinal upset issues (IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, etc.), you may want to stay away from sugar-free gums and mints because the sugar alcohols are not digested and can be uncomfortable moving through your body.
If you know that you have gastric reflux or vomiting issues — shout out to moms-to-be fighting the morning sickness battle as well as guys that need to calm down on the booze and fried meats — mixing a tablespoon of baking soda in with some water and swishing with that will quickly neutralize the strong acid coming out of your stomach.
You also may have “silent” or asymptomatic gastric reflux. That means aerosolized acid is coming up into your mouth without causing any symptoms. I see lots of patients that have erosion on their back teeth and the backside of their front teeth because they are not even aware of this acid attack coming from inside them. They underestimated the sneakiness of the acid!
You can limit the likelihood of reflux issues by being careful not to overeat, especially avoiding excessive acidic foods/drinks.
It is important to avoid eating/drinking late at night before bed. If you eat/drink and then lay down, your stomach is busy digesting and producing acid, which can more easily sneak up through your esophagus if you are lying down to sleep than when you are standing upright. Ideally, finish eating/drinking anything other than some water 2–3 hours before lying down to go to sleep. Intermittent fasting is good for you anyway.
If you have had gastric/bariatric surgery, you may have been told to eat small, more distributed meals. You have to be careful about this when it comes to protecting your teeth. Remember, frequent acid exposure means more time exposed to acid. The more time acid has to eat away at your teeth, the faster they will break down.
Lots of patients who have dry mouth will try to stimulate salivary flow with acidic/sweet foods and beverages. This is a dangerous game to play. Remember, if you have dry mouth (as many older Americans on lots of medications often do), your teeth are more vulnerable to the damage acid can cause. Grandma’s lemon candies she keeps in her purse aren’t so innocent!
“Diet” soda is still soda—lots of acid in it. Plus, there are studies that show if you drink diet soda, you end up overeating compared to if you had high fructose corn syrup soda. High fructose corn syrup soda is still terrible for you. Just avoid soda. It sucks.
Water is so good for you. Mother nature’s beautiful, unadulterated water. There is a reason it is necessary for all known life forms. You don’t need to do anything fancy to it for it to take care of you.

**This pic says it all. Really captures the zeitgeist of this post, don’ cha think?**

At this point, I think you should have a thorough understanding of why you don’t want to be like silly Billy, who you read about at the beginning of this article.

If you don’t quite understand everything I’m saying here or need a refresher in the future, you can also check out this video I made.

Here are some additional resources for you to explore on this topic:

Article on Avoiding Excess Acid in Your Diet.

Article on the Surprising Acidity of Many Drinks.

Here is an excellent TED-Ed Video on Heartburn.

Article on How Stomach Acid Harms Your Teeth.

Article on How Dietary Acid Harms Your Teeth.

Article on Erosive/Acidic Tooth Wear.

The Power of Prevention

Lots of patients cannot afford quality dental care or are afraid of going to see a dentist. I’m writing these articles and making these videos to help those patients maintain and improve the quality of their health.

The good news is YOU HAVE THE POWER to do so much to improve your quality of life and health. It’s all about setting up your daily routine to include the right habits and behaviors for health. Health is wealth, and you can have lots of it if you want.

Behavior change is the most important aspect of health care, and our current medical and dental systems in America don’t emphasize it much at all. Our doctors are not well trained in this area. Our flawed reimbursement systems don’t reward it. However, I promise you that for the VAST MAJORITY of dental problems, PREVENTATIVE medicine is superior to anything a dentist like me can do for you.

Are there times when you will need professional assistance? Sure. You still have to realize that even if you get an excellent repair or replacement of teeth or gum tissue from a dentist, that work will not last unless you know how to take care of it. If your natural teeth broke down in the first place, so will everything else we replace them with. Remember, teeth are strong and resilient. They take a terrible beating before they finally give up, and you show up in my office with a toothache. That doesn’t have to be your relationship with your dentist. You don’t have to suffer through that cycle of pain and fear.

I want to help teach you how to take care of your smile so you can show it off with confidence, no matter what stage of life you’re in. Our smiles are one of our primary communication tools. We need our teeth to form speech sounds and talk with confidence. Our teeth break our food down to aid in swallowing and digestion. I would be up a creek without a paddle if it weren’t for my teeth, as I have a condition called achalasia that requires me to really pulverize food in order for me to be capable of swallowing it.

What I’m saying is: Teeth are important. You have everything you need to take care of them at home without a dentist's help 99% of the time. We just have to help you get on track with the right healthy habits! I hope this article has been helpful. Please check out my YouTube channel and other articles in this series, and then tell your family, friends, and coworkers about everything you learned. Healthy teeth are perfectly accessible to everyone today; we just have to spread the word!

Thanks so much for reading.

Now go watch Beyonce’s Lemonade, but DON’T drink any of that heinous stuff unless you want to murder your teeth.¹

Footnotes:

¹ Technically, you can occasionally have some lemonade without murdering your teeth.

Stop Drinking So Much Acid: A dentist's plea to stop torturing your poor teeth

Habits to Protect Your Teeth from Acid

Here are some additional resources for you to explore on this topic:

The Power of Prevention