In a word, YES! Sipping drinks through a straw can certainly provide an additional layer of protection for our teeth and gums. Especially when we take to sloshing down some sugary slurry or acidic alcohol, straws can help prevent the cavity creeps from making holes in our teeth and even limit staining or discolouration.
Straws Can Prevent Stained Teeth & Help Limit Exposure to Some Causes of Tooth Decay
Acidic beverages like coffee, fruit juice, and red wine can stain our teeth – especially with regular indulgence. Things can then go from not so shiny white smile bad to what the double hockey sticks happened to make my teeth this colour worse! if we also manage to skip out on our thrice annual dental cleaning. But in all seriousness, there are basically three reasons why using a straw can protect our teeth while downing our favourite drinks.
Avoid Stained Teeth By Using A Straw This one goes without saying.
We’ve all seen someone (or experienced it ourselves) that may have indulged a little too much on the red wine – and we’re not talking about slurred speech, a splitting headache, or a wobbly walk. You know, that crimson-coloured hue our once whitish smile takes on whence we indulge a little bit too much in some primo vino. Avoid the dreaded red wine smile, use a straw instead!
Protect Against Tooth Decay By Using A Straw
For those of us that choose to swig some soda from time to time, using a straw can significantly limit the decay-causing exposure our teeth receive when we’re constantly swigging and swishing that most cavity-causing cola or sugary soft drink – diet or not.
Usually, when we take a sip (or gulp) of something whether it’s out of a can, bottle, or glass, we tend to allow the liquid to linger in our mouths before swallowing. If we bathe our teeth in sugary slurry on the regular we’re just inviting those cavity creeps to come to a calling.
But by using a straw to sip sodas, sports drinks, iced coffee, fruit juices, or energy drinks, we can at least take some preventative measures to limit our exposure to decay-causing properties.
Got Sensitive Teeth? Use A Straw
Straws can also help reduce those jabs of sensitivity caused by cold or hot drinks. Get into the habit of positioning straws at the back of your mouth so that drinks have minimal exposure to teeth. You can further reduce the harmful effects by:
- NOT swishing beverages around in your mouth.
- NOT continuously sipping on harmful drinks throughout the day.
- Following your drinks up with water, sugarless gum, or celery.
So the next time you find yourself slugging down some acidic libation or a super sugary syrupy slurry…sip it through a straw instead!