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Drinking canned soda—even the diet variety—can cause your teeth to look older than they are by eroding the hard enamel layer with phosphoric acid and staining them with the artificial colorings.
But worse yet, some scientists think too much soda can potentially play a role in tooth loss by weakening your jawbone.
Canned soft drinks contain high amounts of phosphorus, a mineral that can leach calcium from your bones. This can lead to osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones brittle, frail, and susceptible to fracture.
How does this affect your teeth? Your jaws are made of bone, and as your bones weaken from insufficient calcium, their grasp on your teeth becomes weak. Eventually your teeth loosen and fall out.
"We see a number of young women in their teens who, I believe because of poor dietary habits such as drinking diet soda and not getting enough calcium, have the jaws of much older women," said Ken Wical, D.D.S., professor of restorative dentistry at Loma Linda University. Dr. Wical added that, by the time they are in their thirties, these women frequently lose their natural teeth and are wearing dentures.
Other researchers disagree. Robert Heaney, M.D., calcium researcher at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, points out that an 8-ounce glass of milk can have as much phosphorus as 8 ounces of soda.
Dr. Heaney agrees, however, that drinking soda in place of milk can have serious consequences for your bones. Americans today drink 70 percent more soda than they did in the early 1980s, often at the expense of other, more healthful beverage choices. Without drinking milk, it can be difficult to get the 1000-plus milligrams of calcium you need each day.
So next time you're thirsty, reach for a glass of low fat milk instead of a soda. You'll be strengthening your bones and teeth, as well as going a long way to insuring that your natural smile lasts a lifetime.
Sources: Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter
Loma Linda University
United States Department of Agriculture