Sports Drinks Can be Tough on Teeth

Sports and energy drinks can be wonderful potions that hydrate top-tier athletes and weekend warriors alike.

But here's some advice about their use, not from your trainer or your coach, but from your dentist. If you choose to use them, chug them. Don't sip or savor them all day. Otherwise, the drinks could be eating away your enamel, setting you up for tooth decay and other dental problems.

Energy drinks and citrus-flavored beverages - like many sports drinks - are more abrasive on tooth enamel than tea or even cola drinks.

While all the drinks produce some enamel damage, most wear occurs, in descending order from - lemonade, energy drinks, sports drinks, fitness water (often with citrus flavours), ice tea and cola.

Most cola drinks contain acids, but energy and sport drinks also contain other organic acids that can speed up damage to the enamel.