Is Soda Water Bad for Your Teeth?

Hi guys, welcome to this video in the 'What pH is that series'. Today we are talking about soda stream and we ask the question is sodastream healthy? Lots of people love soda stream because its touted as a healthy, quick, fast, convenient, refreshing drink and people think it's healthier than having a soft drink because soda stream has no sugar. On the soda stream website it also claims that it's better for your dental health because you're using tap water, which is fluorinated, so fluoride water is good for your teeth right? So why not drink soda water... is soda stream healthy and is soda water good for you? Today we are actually going to check that out, and see from a dental perspective... is soda water bad for your teeth. Let's get to it.

 

Have you ever wondered what makes the bubbles in soda water? Where does it magically come from? Is this a magic machine that just creates the bubbles? Well this (points to sodastream machine) has a little carbon dioxide canister in here. What creates the bubbles is the carbon dioxide dissolving in the water. If you look at the chemistry of it... carbon dioxide dissolved in water becomes carbonic acid... ACID... they don't tell you that anywhere do they? Do you want to be drinking acid all day long? Its probably not good for you. So let's check is soda water is bad for your teeth. This soda stream has 3 levels of fizziness, so I have 3 different cups here, we are going to test the pH of each level of fizziness. I'm going to guess that the more fizzy we go, the more acid we have in there because we have got more carbon dioxide dissolving... so lets check it out.

 

So here we go... the first level of fizziness. This is fizzy level 1 (pours into the glass and takes the pH reading)

It seems to be settled on a pH of 5.1

 

Now we are doing fizzy level 2. (pours into the glass and takes the pH reading)

 

pH 4.7

 

So this is fizzy level 3 (pours into the glass and takes the pH reading) That is a very satisfying sound with those bubbles I have to admit.

 

pH 4.9

 

The pH of soda water seemed to be around 4.7 to 5 pH. Now as we know, any pH that is less than 5.5 will suck the mineral out of your teeth, like the dementor sucks the soul out of Harry Potter. You definitely don't want to be sipping on something all day long that is sucking the minerals out of your teeth. Is sodastream healthy and is soda water good for you? Absolutely enjoy soda water with a meal or enjoy it as a drink. Is soda water bad for your teeth? Well it is ok but do not substitute it for regular tap water for your regular hydration throughout the day because if you are constantly sipping on it, you are constantly creating a pH in your mouth that is going to suck the minerals out. That makes you at a higher risk of getting decay and getting other sorts of acid erosion legions which you don't want. Is sodastream healthy? Well is all relative.. if you are comparing it to other fizzy drinks or are just drinking it with a meal then yes it can be considered healthy. If however you are sipping on soda water all day however as a substitute for water, then its difficult to say that soda water is good for you. The more specific question in this case would be is soda water bad for your teeth? The answer here then is that if you are constantly sipping it, then yes soda water is bad for your teeth. Sipping soda water will create an acidic environment in your mouth which leaves you more open to decay.

 

So enjoy soda water just don't put it in your drink bottle. Drinking it out of a straw also doesn't help, because it just directs the soda water up to your top teeth.

 

In summary, is sodastream healthy? definitely enjoy your soda water. It's much better for you than drinking a soft drink because it doesn't have any sugar, but when it comes to your teeth, is soda water bad for your teeth? If you sip it all day then yes! Don't substitute it for regular tap water/filtered water.

 

Having said that... cheers guys thanks for watching.... it is very refreshing.