Soda is bad for you for a variety of reasons, but did you ever think about what it does to your teeth. I recently stumbled across this interesting table from DentalGentleCare.com that shows the acidity of different common beverages.

The reason this is so disheartening is that the PH in our mouth is normally about 6.2 to 7.0 slightly more acidic than water. Therefore, a PH of 5.2 to 5.5 or below the acid begins to dissolve the hard enamel of our teeth. -- Yikes.

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1In 4th grade for my 'science fair project' I put baby teeth in cups of soda (Diet Coke, Coke, Diet Sprite, Sprite).
The tooth in diet coke rotted overnight! The sprite teeth became very dull and the one in coke had little results.
Yikes! I've been a long diet pepsi drinker (which by the way how come it isn't on the list), but I just stopped recently after seeing that awful picture you posted of what it does to your bones! This is just another reason to stop. Thanks for posting!
NbHebert, did it really rot overnight in the diet coke? OMFG!
2I used to drink 2 liters of diet coke a day. I get so grossed out thinking about that. I'm glad I gave it up, now drinking soda makes me feel slightly nauseated.
3
! It's a good thing I've stopped drinking soda!
4I used to drink diet pop fairly frequently, but lately I've tried to make it more of it a "treat" than a regular drink. This list makes me feel better about my decision.
5I try not to drink soda that often, but I usually need the caffeine kick and I don't drink coffee.
6i only drink diet coke at restaurants because tap water scares me (I don't go out to eat often)... and usually one can of pop a day... I would love to cut it out completely but I get bored of water and everything else has calories... *sigh*
7I get bored of water too, so the way I've attempted to nurse myself off pop and coffee is through herbal teas. Green tea is a great substitute for coffee in the morning, and I really love honey vanilla chamomile when I need a sweet fix. No calories in either!
Also fruity herbal teas (like blueberry and black cherry) make great iced teas.
I still have coffee and pop on occasion though ... :0
8Millarci: yup it sure did! And I dont think my teacher liked seeing the rotted tooth stuck to poster board.
9I get headaches when I drink Dr. Pepper....this is probably why!
10Wow. I knew the acidity could wear on the enamel of your teeth, but seeing the acidity levels of soda and then BATTERY ACID in red at the bottom of the list almost made my eyes pop out.
I definitely want to cut this down to a rare indulgence.
11I remember seeing a similar list such as this at my dentist office. I remember it had even somewhat healthy drinks on there (Milk, etc.) and even those are all bad! I remember thinking "Geez...guess I can't drink anything but water!" But I think as long as we don't let it sit and soak on our teeth (or drink tons and tons) we might be ok...let's hope!
12Yuck!! I used to drink 16-24 oz. of Coke a day, but I stopped about a year ago. Now I only drink soda when I go out to eat or on special occasions -- now, I'm glad!!
13What about Ginger Ale? I love that.
14ouch! never been a big pop drinker, but even my monthly diet coke is starting to look scary!
15I'm not drinking soda indeed, but Dr Pepper being almost as bad as battery acid is shocking !
16Yowza! I just drank a Diet Rip It Energy Fuel drink...hmmm, I wonder where that ranks! I love this drink though: it has loads of caffiene to get me MOVING!
17Oh and I also drink Diet Hansen Root Beer flavored...Am I going to die? hahah!
NASTY!
18this why i had so many cavities in my early teens and am now paying for it in my late 20's
i have definitely learned my lesson!!!
Oh Dr. Pepper...I never knew!
19The sodas are not placed in order of the amount of acid; it's not Dr. Pepper that's the worst, it's Pepsi!
20Eewwwwww! Glad I don't drink that anymore! Just think about what it might be doing in out stomachs!
21Jeez, that sucks.
22OM!! Of course and I thought diet Dr Pepper was one of the better ones and its the lowest on the scale! YIKES!
23I'm currently drinking a Diet Pepsi, but I've been trying to cut back lately. I'm drinking more water and green tea now.
24Yup. I still love soda.
25Gross. I try not to drink soda very often, but I don't like coffee either and sometimes I need the energy kick from a diet coke. Maybe I should re-think this...
26After I became a dental asst... I stop drinking soda.
27I'm a big fan of soda but lately I've been doing well with having it in moderation. Sometimes I just need a caffeine fix, and soda does that for me since I don't drink coffee.
28Gatorade's up there twice....
29Ew, I stopped drinking soda years ago. Woah, i didn't know minute maid has such a low PH.. oh gosh. I love fruit punch & minute maid >__
30This makes me want to cry. I'll have to say so long to my diet Dr Pepper. First Splenda and now diet Dr Pepper...
31Oh yeah, and as someone else had already noted, Gatorade is up there twice. Thinking twice... just how smart is this Minnesota "Dental Association"? ...
32I don't drink soda any more... it always makes me feel sick.
However, I'm sad to see Minute Maid Orange Juice on the list. Orange juice is one of my favorite drinks! (sniff)
33I heard that coke does WONDERS cleaning stuff in your home. Poor a can in a toilet bowl, and it'll get rid of stains. My PE teacher in 8th grade showed us a demonstration...he put a metal nail into a cup of coke...in a few days, it was gone! That really opened up my eyes.
34wow. i knew drinking soda was bad for my enamel, but i didn't realize it was THAT bad. i've heard before that cola (pepsi) due to it's phosphoric acid content will weaken your bones by replacing the calcium in your bones with the phosphoric acid. i've been making my own iced green tea lately, just boil, put in 4-5 teabags, leave them to steep for 5 minutes, remove, and pour in the rest of the water and put in the fridge. i put in a few packets of splenda, too. there's no preservatives, so it's only good for a few days.
35Some other pHs:
Orange Juice-3 – 4
Apple Juice- 2.9 – 3.3
Lemon Juice- 2.3
Grapefruit juice 3 – 3.3
Lime 1.8 – 2
So if I used the OP's logic, I'd be avoiding fruits as well.
There's a big difference between informing and fearmongering.
Everyone knows that soda isn't a health food and drinking it exclusively or heavily isn't good for you. However drinking a single can of soda daily isn't going to negatively impact your health.
36I still love my soda!
37I generally drink 2 cans of Diet Pepsi a week but drink it with a straw so that it somewhat avoids my teeth.
38Soda is my dessert/treat of choice, so I'm not giving it up, but this does make me want to use a straw more!
39The title of this entry annoys me just a little...it seems like not drinking pop/soda is just another thing for people to be smug about. If we could only all be so virtuous.......
40wow @ gatorade. Another reason why vitawater is great.
41I
42ugh, that was supposed to be
I love Pepsi.
43gosh... well we can never win, eh?
whatevs... i'm still in love with diet pepsi.
44I think in chemistry we cleaned pennies with 7-up or sprite.
45omg!
46Another pH worth mentioning is that of gastric juice.. between 2 and 3!
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