I have recently developed a taste for “Old Fashioned Seltzer Water.” (That’s the name it’s marketed under.) It’s really just carbonated water, but I find myself craving it in much the same way as I might want coffee or soda.
My question is, how bad is carbonated water for your teeth. I remember someone telling me that the “burning” sensation one gets from carbonated beverages is from acid that forms because of the carbonation.
I found this site with a chart about two-thirds of the way down. There is also this bit of info:
I don’t see carbonated water by itself on the chart, so, am I fooling myself in thinking it’s better than, say, Mountain Dew-- not on the list either-- or are my teeth melting like popsicles?
BTW: thread title refers to a TV PSA. If you watch american TV in the Midwest you’ve probably seen it.
AFAIK, the burning comes not from the carbonic acid, but from the added phosphoric acid. Carbonic acid is present in any water, still or sparkling, that has been exposed to the air. It forms quite naturally.
It’s the sugar that gives you cavities. Diet soda (which is pretty much the equivalent of what you’re drinking, assuming there’s no sugar in there) is not bad for your teeth unless you bathe them in it constantly – otherwise the acids are washed away by your saliva pretty rapidly. It’s the sugar that forms a sticky mass that holds the bacterial acids next to your teeth for long periods of time.
I swear I remember reading/seeing that you shouldn’t brush your teeth for 45 minutes after drinking a carbonated beverage because the abrasiveness of the toothbrush scrapes away the enamel that’s affected by the acid.
Seeing chorpler’s post, though, that makes much more sense. I’ll have to dig around now.
Carbonic acid is present in any water, but there’s a lot more of it in soda. That’s why the cans are kept under pressure - to keep the dissolved CO[sub]2[/sub] inside. That’s also why the soda goes flat after a time - because the gas leaks out.