Your Teeth
I know--it's out of left field. That's where I live.I went to the dentist for the twice-year teeth cleaning, etc. My dentist made a copy of a dental study for me (well, one page of a study, anyway) that tested the amount of enamel decay caused over time by different kinds of drinks. Twenty teeth extracted for "orthodontic reasons" were sectioned into blocks and submerged in the test beverages for two weeks. They were weighed every 24-48 hours to check for enamel loss. Here are the 14-day enamel weight losses (lower is better):
Diet Mountain Dew....8.01%
Mountain Dew...........6.17%
Arizona Iced Tea........4.86%
Sprite.........................3.93%
Diet Sprite..................3.65%
Ginger Ale...................2.94%
Dr. Pepper..................1.72%
Diet Dr. Pepper...........1.52%
Diet Coke....................1.49%
Diet Pepsi....................1.46%
Pepsi...........................1.40%
Coke............................1.39%
Brewed black tea.........0.22%
Brewed black coffee.....0.19%
A&W Root Beer..........-0.01%
Tap water (control)....-0.02%
So there you go. Mountain Dew, after years of speculation, has finally been confirmed to be citrus flavoring mixed with battery acid. Sprite's also not good. Tea and Coffee might stain your teeth, but they're not hard on your enamel, unless you're paying four dollars for an Arizona Iced Tea.
A&W Root Beer is king--as harmless to your enamel as tap water. I asked my Dentist about that, and she said she thought it had something to do with sassafras.
I wish more things did.
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