Drinking sparkling water can be disastrous for teeth

Sparkling water has increased in popularity of late but dental experts fear that its acidic nature contributes to the erosion of pearly whites.

The dentists say that acidic fizzy water (compared to the neutral pH of tap water) "etches" the teeth and removes material from the gnashers.

Dr Ben Atkin
"Then next time you rub it against food or something else, very, very small bits of enamel break off. Over your lifetime that can be a lot of enamel.

"It's the carbonic acid, the bubbles, that cause the problem. Carbonic acid is a very mild acid, but it's still acid and can be bad for your teeth."

Dr Atkins has urged those who drink sparkling water a lot to cut down on their consumption.
He said: "If you are having it once a week, I won't lose sleep over it.

"But if you're having three bottles of fizzy water a day, yes, well let's take a step back and look at that. Pop it into the treat section - so it's not every day."

For feedback: contact the Editorial Department at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.