If you’re serious about your health and are looking for a new beverage option, kombucha might be the one for you. This fermented drink is increasingly popular thanks to its unique taste and many potential health benefits. But is kombucha safe for your teeth?
Kombucha can have a negative impact on your teeth, because of its acidity and sugar content. To reduce the associated risks, drink water with or immediately after drinking kombucha, use a straw, and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth again.
Let’s take a look at how kombucha can affect your teeth and what you should do to protect your teeth from damage.
What Does Kombucha Do to Your Teeth?
Kombucha is a type of fermented tea that is rich in prebiotics and probiotics. It improves digestion by increasing the number of good bacteria in our gut, thus improving overall health.
However, there are some downsides to kombucha as well. One of them is that it may be rather harmful to your teeth.
Kombucha has sugar and acetic acids in it. Acids wear down the outer layer of the tooth, also known as the enamel.
As a result, your teeth get weaker. But that’s not all. The acidic pH created by kombucha also provides a suitable environment for harmful bacteria in the mouth.
As a result, it can cause periodontal disease. As a whole, kombucha can contribute to gum diseases and tooth decay.
Can You Safely Drink Kombucha Without Harming Your Teeth?
Drinking kombucha has a handful of proven health benefits. But as it may also cause some harm to your teeth, you need to find a way to drink kombucha without harming your teeth. Is that possible?
Firstly, you need to know that the most harmful part of kombucha is its acidity. So if you can manage a way to reduce the detrimental effects of acid, it may keep your teeth protected.
One way to do that is to neutralize the acid with water. In order to do that, you will have to drink water at the same time as drinking kombucha. Or you can drink water immediately after drinking kombucha. This way, water will wash down the extra acetic acid in your mouth, preventing tooth decay.
Another way to protect your teeth while drinking kombucha is to be quick about it. As kombucha is a fermented beverage, most people like to drink it slowly.
But if you want to save your teeth from decay, you should drink the beverage quickly. This way, the acid will remain in your mouth for a shorter period, ultimately causing less damage.
Finally, don’t brush your teeth right after drinking kombucha. Because the acid already softens the enamel, the bristles of your toothbrush can actually do more harm.
Instead, rinse your mouth with water and wait for at least 30 minutes. Your tooth enamel will re-harden within this time, and you can brush your teeth at that point.
Is It Safe to Brush Your Teeth After Drinking Kombucha?
As kombucha is a fermented beverage, it has bacteria in it. So in order to prevent any harmful effects from the bacteria, it must have a pH of 3.5. But that’s also when the beverage becomes harmful for your tooth enamel.
When you drink kombucha, it softens and wears down the enamel of your teeth. So if you brush your teeth after drinking kombucha, it worsens the situation. The toothbrush causes abrasion to the tooth that can be permanent as the enamel re-hardens.
In order to prevent this, you can drink water or take something else that will counteract the acid. Dentists suggest that you rinse your mouth with water after drinking kombucha. And after 30 minutes, you can brush your teeth without causing much harm to them.
Is It Safe to Drink Kombucha With a Straw?
Drinking a beverage with a straw certainly has no drawbacks. But the more important question is whether it has any certain benefits.
Firstly, straws don’t possess any physical or chemical properties that can help improve your tooth enamel in any way or another. So the problems can still occur with or without a straw.
But if you use a straw, the beverage doesn’t touch your teeth as much as it does when you drink without a straw. Less contact means less erosion or softening of the enamel. So as a whole, drinking kombucha with a straw is safe and can reduce the risks associated with the drink.
