Healthy Drinks for Your Teeth from the Dentist Richmond Trusts

At Westhampton Dentistry, we know that changing your habits can be struggle, but changing what, how, and when you drink can help reduce or eliminate your risk for tooth decay. Take small steps to eliminate a beverage a day or add a glass of water after each serving of more harmful drinks, and overtime, you should start to notice your mouth feels cleaner and your breath is fresher. To find out more about the best drinks for your dental health or to schedule an appointment, call Westhampton Dentistry today. Our convenient Richmond, VA office is always here to help our patients improve their oral health.

Beverage Don’ts from the Dentist Westhampton Loves

This will likely come as no surprise but drinks that contain large amounts of sugar, color, or acidic ingredients are the most damaging to your teeth. This includes soda, juice, sports drinks, and alcohol (especially red wines). Changing habits is difficult especially if you quit cold turkey, but starting by changing how and when you drink these beverages can help you maintain your dental health. If you want to enjoy a sugary or acidic drink, refrain from sipping over an extended period of time. This allows the sugars, acids and dyes to remain in your mouth longer. Studies have shown that continually drinking harmful beverages throughout the day leads to more dental concerns than drinking the same beverages as part of a meal or limited to a short time frame. For best results, drink the beverage over the course of a short period of time, and follow up with water to remove as much of the damaging ingredient as possible.

Beverage Do’s from Your Dentist, Westhampton

When you’re ready to get rid of the damaging drinks all together, drinking milk, unsweetened tea and water are the three best choices to protect your dental health. Water is always your best option. Fluoridated water is especially helpful for dental development. Make sure to find bottled water that is fluoridated for the kids, or toss out the bottles all together and drink tap water. For people who want a little more flavor, we recommend infusing your water or tea. Readymade flavored waters and teas often contain large amounts of sugar, but adding fresh fruits, veggies, or herbs to your own beverages gives you a tasty, refreshing drink with all natural flavor. Need drinks for the whole family? Use a large water pitcher or water cooler to infuse larger amounts of tea and water at a time, and get the whole family involved. Choosing the ingredients can be a fun experiment for the kids (for more adventurous flavor combinations starting with one glass might be a good idea).

How to Infuse Beverages:

1. Find a container to hold your drink (glass, bottle, pitcher, water cooler, etc)
2. Choose an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and herbs you enjoy and add to your container – experiment with the amount to achieve a flavor you’ll enjoy
3. Add water or unsweetened tea and let sit for at least an hour
4. Enjoy!

Call Your Dentist, 23226

Even if you think your teeth are healthy, making some minor changes now can help maintain that oral health for a lifetime. Cumulative damage caused by continually drinking harmful beverages can lead to significant dental health concerns as you age. Find out more about how choosing the right foods and beverages effects your dental health from the friendly team at Westhampton Dentistry. Call to schedule an appointment today. We’re looking forward to seeing new and returning patients from Richmond and surrounding areas including Westhampton, Mechanicsville, Williamsburg, Glen Allen, Chester, and Fredericksburg.