1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Folke bomb here with a classic episode 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: featuring our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar. This one concerns one 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: of those health warnings that we hear but may dismiss. 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: Is over cautious or an overstatement that soda will ruin 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: your teeth. Christians here to separate the truth from the fiction. 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, it's me Christian Sagar. So there's this 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 1: urban myth that soda can dissolve a tooth overnight. The 9 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: Internet has thoroughly busted this. But just because it's proven 10 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: that hanging onto a mouthful of cola for upwards of 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: twelve hours won't hollow out your jaw, that doesn't mean 12 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: you should try it. Soft drinks can indeed damage your 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: pearly whites. But how and how much? Well, let's talk teeth. 14 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: Your teeth have four basic layers, the root, the pulp, 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: the denton protecting the pulp, and the enamel tooth. Enamel 16 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: is the hardest tissue the human body produces. It's made 17 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: up of crystal fibers packed together into a smooth mineral casing, 18 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: or as we call it, a crown. But Unlike your bones, 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: enamel is not a living tissue because it's not alive. 20 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: That also means it can't repair itself. That means it 21 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: takes damage from daily wear and tear, including what we 22 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: eat and what we drink. There are two types of trouble. 23 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: Drinks can cause all over erosion due to the acids 24 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: they contain, and spot decay caused by the bacteria that 25 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: grow on your teeth. Both come down to a pH 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: imbalance on a scale from zero to xenomorph. The human 27 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: mouth has a pretty neutral pH level, something around six 28 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: point eight. The pH scale itself runs from zero to fourteen, 29 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: with zero being the most acidic, fourteen being the most 30 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: base or alkaline, and seven being neutral like pure water. 31 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: Some of the bacteria in your mouth are sugar hungry, 32 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: so when you consume sweet stuff like soda, they throw 33 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: the bacterial equivalent of a house party. They'll link up 34 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: into colonies on your teeth called a biofilm or plaque, 35 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: and feast on the sugar and the lookscrete acids, which 36 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: can weaken your enamel whenever they're hunkered down, eventually causing cavities. 37 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: But Christian, you might say I only drink sugar free 38 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: sodas well. That'll save you from cavities, but all sodas 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: contain acids of their own. On the pH scale, soft 40 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: drinks have been found to range from around four point 41 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: oh to two point four. Your saliva should bring your 42 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: mouth back to normal within a half an hour or so, 43 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: but your enamel can be affected by anything from about 44 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: a five point five or below. The erosion and decay 45 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: caused by chronic soda consumption can be rampant, and yes, 46 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: rampant is the official medical term. In one case study, 47 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: soda abuse was found to do dental damage equivalent to 48 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: meth or crack abuse. The only difference was the shade 49 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: of discoloration in the patient's remaining teeth. Dentists recommend using 50 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: straws and rinsing with water after drinking any acidic or 51 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: sugary stuff. They also stress rushing twice a day with 52 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: fluoride or remineralizing products to help maintain your enamel. In fact, 53 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: it can't heal itself from the inside the way your 54 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: bones do, but the mineral structure can be buffeted from 55 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: the outside. These are good habits even if you've never 56 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: touched a soda in your life. After all, sodas aren't 57 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: the only culprits in enamel erosion, in tooth decay, and 58 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: your future relationship with dentures isn't the only thing at 59 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: stake here. Research has linked oral health and whole body health. 60 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: This means a disease that starts in the mouth may 61 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: have a hand in heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory infections, 62 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: and even some cancers. Today's episode was written by me 63 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of 64 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: I Heart Radios How stuff Works. For more on this 65 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: and lots of other toothsome topics, visit our home planet, 66 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com and for more podcasts. For 67 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,799 Speaker 1: my heart radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 68 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.