This Soda Is The Least Harmful To Your Teeth

Soda and dental health rarely go hand in hand, and no one would dispute that. The well-established facts remain: sodas are very high in acids like citric and phosphoric acid that wear away at the enamel on your teeth, as well as sugars that combine with bacteria in your mouth, creating even more acidity (via B&D Dental Excellence). As a snappy dental saying goes, "Sip all day, get decay." They're not joking, folks. With every sip of soda, a 20-minute attack on your chompers begins, and can eventually create cavities — read: decaying teeth.

If you must have your soda — and honestly, why, when you can have delicious flavored sparkling water, iced tea, or fruit juice (although some can be just as acidic)? — one soda happens to be lower in acid than all the rest. "Root beer acidity is also much lower than other sodas on the market. It generally has a pH between 4.03 to 4.75 which is far less acidic than other types of sodas," according to B&D Dental Excellence. "With a lower acidic content, less harm occurs to the enamel." So root beer is slightly better for your teeth than the worst offenders: Cherry Coke, regular Coke, and Pepsi (via B&D Dental excellence).

Root beer has a number of other perks, besides being a delicious American classic. It's available in a lot of "all-natural" versions, which can cut some of the high-fructose corn syrup and often incorporate some of the original components of ye olde root beer, like wintergreen, clove, anise, sassafras, birch root, or ginger (via Grist). It also lends itself wonderfully to the iconic root beer float, which packs in that dairy dentists are always going on about for bone health. You could even trick yourself into believing that calcium-rich dairy cancels out the harmful effects of soda (it doesn't)!

There are other ways to minimize the harm that comes from rampant soda-sipping. According to the Wisconsin Dental Association, using a straw helps divert the harmful beverage past your teeth, and swishing with water after soda can help dilute the sugar-acid party happening in your mouth. Don't sit and sip a soda over the course of hours, although really, why would you want to? Brush your teeth after meals, or better yet — swap out soda with something better, like whiskey! Kidding.