Orange juice is just about the worst drink for your teeth. Its high levels of acid destroy enamel, and eventually will erode the entire tooth. People who drink fizzy stuff or fruit juices every day should consider changing their diet, say researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, who discovered the harm the drinks can cause.
“The acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away. The orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 per cent,” said research team leader YanFang Ren. His team found that the juices caused the most damage when they were sipped slowly over a 20-minute period. So if you can’t give up the juice, at least drink it quickly – and brush your teeth twice a day, although leave a good half an hour before doing so as the enamel will still be so soft, you could damage it even more.
(Source: Journal of Dentistry, 2009; 37: 424-31). WDDTY June 09