It's a lesser-known fact that while sugar is bad for your teeth, it's not the only thing threatening your smile when you down a can of soda: Diet or not, the carbonation in fizzy drinks can wear away at your teeth big-time. And now, a recent study suggests that drinking diet soda could be as threatening as, you know, smoking crack.
Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny of the Temple University School of Dentistry says that results of a recent study show comparable decay and damage among heavy diet soda drinkers and...meth and crack users. Of course, none of the three people studied had great oral hygiene habits, and the diet soda drinker hadn't seen a dentist in 20 years. While Dr. Bassiouny easily makes the grandiose comparison between diet drinks and hard drugs, and the American Beverage Association states that such comparisons are "irresponsible," we're more inclined to trust the spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry, who explains that “the damage that happens to people’s mouths from cocaine or methamphetamine are degrees greater than what I see from soda. But, I see a lot of damage from soda.”
So, don't freak. Yes, you could probably cut down on the soda if you're a heavy user, but most importantly, brush and floss, okay guys? (The Gloss)
Photo: Courtesy of Diet Coke.