Let’s see if you remember some of your high school chemistry.  pH is the measure of acidity or basicity of a solution.  Pure water is neutral and has a pH of 7.0.  Solutions with a pH less than 7.0 are considered acidic.  Solutions with a pH higher than 7.0 are considered basic or alkaline. 

The lower the number the more acidic a solution is.  The important thing to understand here is that when the pH of a solution on a tooth surface is less than 5.5, tooth surface damage occurs. 

Gatorade, for example, has a pH of 3.3.  In fact, research by a British dentist, Dr. Milosevic, found the pH levels of sports drinks ranged from approximately 4.5 to 2.4. 

Why do sports drinks have such a high acid content to begin with?  My understanding is that the acidity improves the taste and increases the shelf life of the products. 

But the acid components are just one part of the equation.  Sports drinks can also have a rather high amount of refined sugar.  Any beverage that has high acid content can weaken the enamel.  Sugar can worsen the situation by encouraging bacterial growth.  So acid is bad, sugar is bad and many of these sports drinks have both.  Together, they cause tooth decay. 

Realize that there are a lot of liquids that we consume that contain acid – sodas, sports drinks, wine.  So why aren’t everyone’s teeth just rotting away?  Your saliva contains minerals that naturally re-mineralize or re-harden teeth after they have been exposed to acid solutions.  But in the presence of a significant exposure to acid, there is only so much repair that saliva can do. 

Fortunately, there are sports drinks out there that don’t have so much sugar and aren’t so acidic.  One that I have personally used is HEED made by Hammer Nutrition.  This company has been around since 1987, developing a wide range of nutrition products for the endurance athlete. 

For sweeteners, HEED contains Xylitol and Stevia, which are both healthier alternatives to the refined sugars and/or artificial sweeteners found in most sports drinks.  In addition, HEED doesn’t contain the high amounts of citric acid found in most sports drinks.  The result of these modifications, according to Steve Born at Hammer Nutrition, is that the pH of HEED is 7.04 – almost neutral.   Pretty impressive. 

So what exactly is Xylitol and Stevia?  Xylitol and Stevia are both natural sweeteners.  Xylitol can be found in a variety of fibrous fruits and vegetables.  The human body even naturally produces some Xylitol via normal metabolic processes.  Stevia comes from a plant found in subtropical and tropical Central and South America.

From a dental standpoint, Xylitol and Stevia are very “tooth-friendly”.  Remember, bacteria in the mouth love refined sugars.  They metabolize it to create acids that cause cavities.  On the other hand, oral bacteria are unable to ferment Xylitol and Stevia. 

The result is that the number of cavity-causing bacteria is remarkably reduced, no acid is created, and thus no cavities are formed. 

“Tooth-friendly” sports drinks can be found in almost any triathlon, running and cycling store. But for those people who continue to drink sports drinks that are high in refined sugar and acid components, There are things you can do to at least reduce their risk of damaging your teeth. 

First, use the sports drink for its intended purpose during and after extended exercise, training or competition, and not as an everyday beverage. Second, one of the most important factors is how long one holds the liquid in their mouth.  The longer the drink sits in the mouth, the more damage it will cause. Third, there are some toothpastes on the market that are designed to re-mineralize teeth that have been exposed to liquids that contain acid such as wine, soda and sports drinks.Lastly, research suggests that brushing your teeth immediately after consuming a sports beverage can actually make tooth erosion matters worse. 

 Better to rinse with water to dilute the acid and then wait 30 minutes before brushing your teeth to allow softened enamel to naturally re-harden via the minerals in saliva.

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