Concerns of what I've been eating/Drinking.

[stCx86]

Hello Everyone,

I know I will get yelled at for posting something like this buttttt I just need to get some feedback..haha.

Anyways, I drink Milk Tea on a DAILY basis, I also have ALOTTTT of soda. However, when I do drink these drinks I drink with a straw to shoot it directly towards the back of the throat and I drink right away, I don't let the soda "wash" around my mouth or anything like that.


Immediately following these drinks I ALWAYS rinse mouth with water but I'd like to know if i'm totally being stupid...will this hurt me on the long run? When my braces come off will I have all that calcification and white spots due to teeth coloring from dark soda and my milk tea and OCCASIONALLY coffee.... but keep in mind that i drink milk tea and soda on a daily basis...EVERY SINGLE DAY! =).

PLEASE give me feedback or someone tell me something horrible is going to happen so i can force myself to stop drinking.

the only reason i'm asking is because i've had braces for approx 6 months and everytime i go to the ortho, he doesn't say anything so i'm taking it that everything is OK? I'm going to have my 6 months cleaning soon and i'll see if the dentist mentions anything but PLEASE tell me if i'm totally screwing up.

Thanks!

[Sunny]

I know I will get yelled at for posting something like this buttttt I just need to get some feedback..haha.

... why would you get yelled at ... and by whom?

st I drink milky tea in copious quantities every day ... and several large amount of spicy chai in the evenings. I reckon on an average day I drink 3-4 litres of milk tea and spicy chai. I don't use a straw and I often swirl the tea and chai around my mouth, I don't rinse after these drinks with water, and I brush in the morning ... after breakfast and one 500 ml mug of tea, and before going to bed after the other 3.5 litres ... or there abouts. I rarely brush during the day.

These drinks do stain my teeth, but each night I brush with sensodyne's whitening toothpaste and each morning with colgates baking soda and peroxide toothpaste. These don't whiten, but they do help to remove the most recent staining. My teeth are not white ... or even close to it, but much of the staining on them has occurred over many years and is not of concern to me, my dentist, my hygienist or my orthodontist.

I have been told by these people that drinking as much tea/chai as I do, will not affect the enamel on my teeth ... therefore it will not cause issues like calcification.

Soda ... or fizz as we call it on this side of the world ... can have quite different affects on your teeth, because of the sugar and acid contained in it. Drinking it with a straw so it doesn't touch your teeth, should mean that there is a much less risk of the soda damaging the enamel, since you write that it's not touching it.

We tell our patients to try not to drink fizz, but if they feel they must have some, to drink as small amount as possible. We do not tell them to use a straw, but we do tell them to rinse their mouths well with water after they've had the drink and to wait 30 minutes before brushing. This is due to the acid in the fizz and the risk of them damaging the enamel on their teeth.

I think you need to ask your ortho and your dentist ... not wait to see if they find a problem ... ask them if your drinking soda every day can/will/has caused the enamel on your teeth any problems. I hope the answer you get is "No!"

[mommamorin]

If you're drinking soda through a straw, not swishing it in your mouth to enjoy the flavor, then why are you drinking it? Just curious is all. Doesn't sound like drinking soda is worth the consequences.

[Denise]

I think it's like any other bad habit, the chance is always there but it doesn't mean it's going to happen to you. Certainly you know the risks, and you still drink the soda, tea, etc. If your ortho doesn't say anything it could be because he/she doesn't want to 'nag' you. You're an adult, and they probably feel like they should only have to tell you once. My brother in law had braces at 18 and got those cavities and white spots from soda consumption, but another friend of mine had them at 18 also, and didn't get them at all. Drinking with the straw certainly helps your chances in not getting the cavities. Good luck to you, and hopefully your dentist can give you a good opinion about how he/she thinks your teeth are doing so far

[Anny]

I worry about this too :/ I love chai tea and have soda about twice a week. I try to swish after soda but forget after tea. What did your ortho say?