WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Will Soda Really Ruin My Teeth?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Folke bomb here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>featuring our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar. This one concerns one

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<v Speaker 1>of those health warnings that we hear but may dismiss.

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<v Speaker 1>Is over cautious or an overstatement that soda will ruin

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<v Speaker 1>your teeth. Christians here to separate the truth from the fiction.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, it's me Christian Sagar. So there's this

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<v Speaker 1>urban myth that soda can dissolve a tooth overnight. The

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<v Speaker 1>Internet has thoroughly busted this. But just because it's proven

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<v Speaker 1>that hanging onto a mouthful of cola for upwards of

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<v Speaker 1>twelve hours won't hollow out your jaw, that doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>you should try it. Soft drinks can indeed damage your

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<v Speaker 1>pearly whites. But how and how much? Well, let's talk teeth.

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<v Speaker 1>Your teeth have four basic layers, the root, the pulp,

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<v Speaker 1>the denton protecting the pulp, and the enamel tooth. Enamel

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<v Speaker 1>is the hardest tissue the human body produces. It's made

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<v Speaker 1>up of crystal fibers packed together into a smooth mineral casing,

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<v Speaker 1>or as we call it, a crown. But Unlike your bones,

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<v Speaker 1>enamel is not a living tissue because it's not alive.

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<v Speaker 1>That also means it can't repair itself. That means it

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<v Speaker 1>takes damage from daily wear and tear, including what we

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<v Speaker 1>eat and what we drink. There are two types of trouble.

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<v Speaker 1>Drinks can cause all over erosion due to the acids

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<v Speaker 1>they contain, and spot decay caused by the bacteria that

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<v Speaker 1>grow on your teeth. Both come down to a pH

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<v Speaker 1>imbalance on a scale from zero to xenomorph. The human

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<v Speaker 1>mouth has a pretty neutral pH level, something around six

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<v Speaker 1>point eight. The pH scale itself runs from zero to fourteen,

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<v Speaker 1>with zero being the most acidic, fourteen being the most

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<v Speaker 1>base or alkaline, and seven being neutral like pure water.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of the bacteria in your mouth are sugar hungry,

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<v Speaker 1>so when you consume sweet stuff like soda, they throw

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<v Speaker 1>the bacterial equivalent of a house party. They'll link up

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<v Speaker 1>into colonies on your teeth called a biofilm or plaque,

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<v Speaker 1>and feast on the sugar and the lookscrete acids, which

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<v Speaker 1>can weaken your enamel whenever they're hunkered down, eventually causing cavities.

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<v Speaker 1>But Christian, you might say I only drink sugar free

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<v Speaker 1>sodas well. That'll save you from cavities, but all sodas

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<v Speaker 1>contain acids of their own. On the pH scale, soft

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<v Speaker 1>drinks have been found to range from around four point

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<v Speaker 1>oh to two point four. Your saliva should bring your

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<v Speaker 1>mouth back to normal within a half an hour or so,

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<v Speaker 1>but your enamel can be affected by anything from about

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<v Speaker 1>a five point five or below. The erosion and decay

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<v Speaker 1>caused by chronic soda consumption can be rampant, and yes,

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<v Speaker 1>rampant is the official medical term. In one case study,

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<v Speaker 1>soda abuse was found to do dental damage equivalent to

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<v Speaker 1>meth or crack abuse. The only difference was the shade

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<v Speaker 1>of discoloration in the patient's remaining teeth. Dentists recommend using

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<v Speaker 1>straws and rinsing with water after drinking any acidic or

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<v Speaker 1>sugary stuff. They also stress rushing twice a day with

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<v Speaker 1>fluoride or remineralizing products to help maintain your enamel. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>it can't heal itself from the inside the way your

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<v Speaker 1>bones do, but the mineral structure can be buffeted from

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<v Speaker 1>the outside. These are good habits even if you've never

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<v Speaker 1>touched a soda in your life. After all, sodas aren't

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<v Speaker 1>the only culprits in enamel erosion, in tooth decay, and

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<v Speaker 1>your future relationship with dentures isn't the only thing at

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<v Speaker 1>stake here. Research has linked oral health and whole body health.

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<v Speaker 1>This means a disease that starts in the mouth may

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<v Speaker 1>have a hand in heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory infections,

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<v Speaker 1>and even some cancers. Today's episode was written by me

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radios How stuff Works. For more on this

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<v Speaker 1>and lots of other toothsome topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com and for more podcasts. For

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<v Speaker 1>my heart radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.