v  Jacob Shelly

   Athletes do all sorts of work outs, exercises, and drills to keep their bodies in perfect shape for the games of the season. When buying supplies and other equipment for sports, all anyone ever hears is the positive outcomes of the items. All day we see commercials and billboards for sports drinks that rehydrate you, keep you energized, and pumped up for the game.

   When people buy drinks such as Vitamin Water, Powerade, Gatorade, Life Water, and Propel what they believe they are receiving is the nutritious vitamins, and the rehydration needed ina long, hard fought game or work out.

   Little do people know when that liquid enters their mouth, they are swishing around a substance that damages enamel, even more than soda, softens dentin, which is the dental tissue under enamel that determines the size and shape of teeth, and can even stain them as well.

   The acid in sports drinks damages the enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable to bacteria seeping through the cracks and crevices in your teeth that the acid formed, and the sugar encourages the bacteria growth, causing tooth decay. “This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear,” said, Professor and Chairman at New York College of Dentistry, who led the study.

   Now drinking a sports drink all at one sitting is far more safe than sipping on one through out the day, and drinking through a straw is a great idea to avoid contact with your teeth, washing your mouth with water to flush out the drink is also a good idea. If you were thinking that you could just brush your teeth after every bottle, that’s not a smart idea either. Since the tooth enamel softens after one of these drinks, the teeth become very sensitive to the harsh substances in toothpaste.

   So the next time you take that big gulp out of that Gatorade, think about your teeth and all of the work you put into brushing and eating the right foods to keep them in good shape. This doesn’t mean you have to put down the sports drinks for good, but just know what the consequences are of overdoing it. Everyone should know the pros and cons of what happens in every decision and choice they pursue and decide, it may sound silly, but yes it can be something as little as a drink that can damage your body!