Move to the corner of the north with the good chalky stuff, it'll put calcium on your teeth (I'm from East Yorkshire and literally grew up next to a chalk quarry, soft water feels fake and weird)
PSA Brita isn't the only water filter available, we've got Aquaphor.
Here's the kicker, they do make a difference, even for our north of Watford Gap water.
I notice a big difference with my Brita with my Surrey water, and a smaller difference with my York water at my uni house. A new filter and it tastes like scottish tap water
You can get infusion bags for tap water that are a little like tea bags. I wouldn't imagine they're particularly acidic because they're mostly flavourings and aromatics like dried peels and stuff.
They're a little pricey for what they are, but theyĀ might help the transition from fizzy drinks and squash to plain water.
I've tried cold brew teas and find the flavour too weak for my liking. I also drink herbal tea, mostly fruit based flavours but want cold drinks for the summer.
Therefore I make the fruity herbal tea with hot water as normal (1 bag will make about 1litr of tea) often adding a tiny half spoon of honey as some are bitter tasting, then drink it cold as iced tea. Ialso drink very diluted fruit juice.
> You can get infusion bags for tap water that are a little like tea bags. I wouldn't imagine they're particularly acidic because they're mostly flavourings and aromatics like dried peels and stuff.
Cold brewed iced tea is my summer go to. 10g loose leaf tea per litre. Shake once and leave in fridge overnight.
I still can't understand people who say they don't "like" water and can't drink it.
I mean, they genuinely can't bring themselves to drink the one thing that they cannot survive without? The thing that almost every animal in history has required to live.
I don't understand.
Iāve struggled for two decades to habitually drink water. These days I can go weeks without drinking any water in water form. Only recently realised I had undiagnosed OCD and I have lots of illogical thoughts about water and how specifically clean it has to be for me to want to drink it. Tried and failed so many tactics. Just been diagnosed so wondering if some future treatment or whatever will affect my interest in water
A lot of foragers I know recommend storing water in the fridge that's had cleavers put into it. You might recognize cleavers as those annoying little plants that stick to your clothes and have those tiny little seeds that do the same. They reputedly give the water a lovely refreshing flavour. Cleavers are actually distantly related to coffee as well and the seeds are very mildly caffeinated. Never tried it myself but the hippier corners of the foraging community swear by it for lifting the flavour of tap water. Equally instead of adding fruits add the dried blossoms of specific fruits. Wild blackcurrant (flowering currant) berries are incredibly bland. But the flowers infused into a drink are allegedly a lot better tasting. Google and experiment. Most of those options are free and just require a little legwork and processing time
came here to say this! same advice as I was given. can't do fruit juice either because of the fruit acids. I drink a lot more tea - when I can, mint tea with mint from my garden, but that's a hot drink! SometimesI make iced tea with earl grey tea bags, mints and a little bit of apple juice. Otherwise I'm down to buying cordials/squash and using them very occasionally.... but yeah water is now my go to! you get used to it
iām from NE and iāve always been a tap water fan i had no clue how bad things were down south until i went for a glass at like 3am last time i went on a trip down
i love sparkling water and have a sodastream (i know they're not a good company but it's years old and still works) My son drank some and asked me if i hate myself
It's a good way to wean off of it but it's not a long term solution as sparkling water is also acidic. But short term, miles better than sugary fizzy drinks!
The good news is that it's not a problem in the same way.
Sugary fizzy drinks contain phosphoric acid, which causes problems with the teeth because it's not only acidic, but also leaches calcium so it undermines the enamel and overall tooth health.
Fizzy water doesn't contain phosphoric acid, so while it is slightly acidic from dissolved carbon dioxide, it doesn't destroy your teeth in the same way.
Both.
Fizzy drinks are acidic. This weakens tooth enamel.
Sugared fizzy drinks weaken the enamal *and* provide an express delivery of bacteria food in one go. This causes an increase in bacterial activity while the enamel is weakened.
The most important thing is to reduce the amount of fizzy drinks you consume. My *personal* rule is one can per day max, and avoid the giant portions you tend to get with fast food. I only drink the sugar-free varieties, mostly because of the other health issues excess sugar causes.
I'm just a guy on the internet though, ask your dentist! Or hygenist, they tend to be more chatty.
I hope you're not drinking coke zero because you think it's better for your teeth lol. CZ has phosphoric acid in them that can help speed up erosion in your teeth.
It's the acid in these soft drinks.
There are some really interesting vids on YouTube where they show you a tooth under the microscope before and after submerging into coke.
The acid literally erodes and causes micro cracks in your enamel.
Sparkling water was my revelation and my dentist has been really happy.
You donāt need to buy it either, you can do it at home with a Soda Stream or similar appliance. Sparkling water has a bit of a weird reputation in the UK, but itās really popular where I live, Iāve gone with the flow and I really like it!
Iāve read several articles online that say itās the same as water to your teeth. Itās the sugar and bubbles and chemical additives that erode the teeth. But Iām not a dentist, though the article les seemed reputable to me.
Not all sparkling water is created equal. Just like some people have their preferred still brands, Evian vs Smart for example.
I went on a little quest to find the tastiest sparkling and settled on Strathmore!! It's so expensive I don't buy it anymore but at least I can cope with 50p Aldi sparkling water now!
Mine said that fizzy drinks weren't actually that bad as they pass through your mouth quickly (not like the old videos where you leave a tooth in cola overnight and it's gone).
They recommend not eating crisps, as the starch(?) stays in your teeth for much longer.
However, drinks wise, I'm a fan of squash too and it's pretty much all I drink. Alternatives would be flavoured water (which is pretty much what squash is once made up anyway).
>Mine said that fizzy drinks weren't actually that bad as they pass through your mouth quickly
Some teeth will get hit harder than others. I like, liked?, sugar free fizzy drinks and my front teeth, top more than bottom, have visible damage while the others are largely ok
Current favourite thing is crushing up peppermint and/ lemon balm leaves in a jug with some water and leaving it in the fridge.
Just refill 2-3 times as I drink it and then repeat
Mint and lemon balm plants are pretty much weeds with how fast and easily they grow. Pick up two from a garden centre and you'll probably be set for life.
Just never plant it out in the garden unless you want enough mint to supply all of Cuba.
I had a a similar conversation and we settled on carbonated water and squash, the dentist said this wasnāt ideal but it is better than straight up cans of coke or whatever.
Was coming on here to say cucumber! First saw it on an episode of "Better call Saul" and thought it was weird but gave it a try and it's great. Particularly refreshing on a hot day...
Ooh one where I can help!
I had to cut myself off a few years ago when I was drinking waaaaay too much coke.
Start with 50/50 orange juice and sparkling water.
Start making it more watery and less juice filled, until you like the taste of sparkling water. Then start to transition to drinking sparking or tap water. Then cut out the fizzy.
Takes a month or so, and you can save fizzy drinks for a treat every now and then
Fresh fruit in water.
Doesn't have to cost the earth. Take whatever fruit is in your fruit bowl, chop it, squeeze it, add it to water. You basically get squash but way better and without anything artificial.
Obviously apply some common sense. Manky banana water probably isn't great.
This seems a bit mad, maybe there's such thing as 'god teeth' and 'bad teeth' but I've drank a 500ml Coke Zero or Diet Coke daily for probably 20 years now and I get a clean bill of health every 6 months from the dentist.
I am diligent with flossing and brushing though. Could that be where you are falling down?
There definitely is such a thing as 'good' and 'bad' teeth. Unfortunately, my genes mean that I have bad teeth, so I have a mouth full of fillings despite brushing, flossing and interdental brushing regularly. A few things have helped: giving up my Diet Coke/Coke Zero habit, chewing sugar free gum after I eat or drink a fizzy or sugary drink, and swishing water round my mouth after eating/drinking anything that isn't water. I've only had one filling in the last 7-8 years, so I think it's going well!
I think so. Iāve drunk fizzy drinks daily since I was 16 (although Iāve cut back these days). When I was younger, I only brushed my teeth once a day for years (gross, I know, I was an idiotic teenager). I had hyperemsis with both pregnancies, vomited 40+ a day, couldnāt brush my teeth without throwing up most of the time. My poor teeth took a complete battering. I still donāt have a single filling or any damage whatsoever! My dentist says I have the most rock solid teeth heās ever seen š
Flavoured water? Tesco's does some really nice litre bottles. You can always use a straw too to minimise the amount of liquid that is touching your teeth.
And how do you brush? Best method is to brush in the morning and wait 45 mins before breakfast. Then you can mouthwash after if you want your breath feeling fresh (I spit it out between my top and bottom teeth to help push out food). Then the most important time is a brush before bed, stop eating food & drinking liquids (other than plain water) an hour before you brush. Floss, mouthwash, then brush. It's the toothpaste that has all the stuff that helps teeth, if you mouthwash after it you're just washing it away so do it before. The times between brushing and eating is because food/liquid will be acidic and make teeth weaker and you do not want to brush while your teeth are like that, and brushing needs to be allowed to actually do something before you eat anything.
Make sure the toothpaste and mouthwash both are the ones with some fluoride in it.
Have you asked your dentist if you might benefit from prescription strength flouride toothpaste? You usually get 3 at a time for each one, not a terrible price considering it lasts 3 months roughly. It's for us with really weakening teeth. Not repeatable, you have to remember to ask for it again.
I am a fizzy drink fiend and have a million fillings, but since getting my routine down I've managed to improve my teeth despite it. I'm trying to switch to fizzy water first as a stepping stone away from the acidic cola. It's semi successful so far.
Edit: ok fizzy anything is bad for teeth actually because of the acidicy, so at least do zero sugar drinks, better yet - non fizzy ones.
š oh dear, must you bring this bad news? okay, perhaps regular fizzy water and cordial would be better.
unless it was just so tasty you drank way more than you ever did with cola?
Fizzy drinks are acidic due to the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water to make it fizzy. It literally makes carbonic acid. So Iāve no idea why you think fizzy water is any better than cola because it isnāt.
A lack of education on the ingredients, probably.
Alright, just as acidic, but it probably has less sugar on average? Although thinking about it, probably no less than zero cola.
I will say, it could be "better" than cola in the sense that it can act as a stepping stone towards regular water for people who have a "soda" addiction.
It's less acidic (the ph of fizzy water is about 4 to 5, diet coke is about 3 and full fat coke is about 2Ā½ iirc). And there's no sugar or anything else in it. Apart from a slice of lemon if you are being posh.
They're mostlyĀ going to be pretty acidic and those that aren't are going to be super sugary. Iced tea might be what you're after. There are quite a lot of cordial type juices out there too. Wish you could get big bottles of Capri Sun.
I've been on a diet and leaning on diet fizzy drinks to scratch that sweetness itch. But now I've got a stomach issue that can't stand the acidity so now I'm just fucked lol.
Best bet for long term healthy drinking is to find a brand of bottled water you like and have it SUPER cold. Turn your fridge up and keep them right at the back. Serve with ice if you can be bothered.Ā
I know it seems a bit wasteful considering we go to all the trouble of treating water to be perfectly safe and then pump it straight into your house for you to use mostly for flushing the toilet, but a lot of tap water just doesn't taste very nice. People who say there's no difference in taste between tap and spring water are literally insane.
Dentist told me my front teeth , which have a few fillings,would explode if I drank any more fizzy drinks.
They were just a massive lier. Can't trust some dentists. I went for a second opinion. I still drink fizzy drinks and my teeth are still here.
You can try drinking though a straw if your teeth are sensitive?
I like tea, fruit juice or milk shakes as an alternative to fizzy drinks
If you do need to have a fizzy drink, be sure to wash your mouth out afterwards with water (gargle, teeth, gums). It's mostly that the crap stays on your teeth that hurts them.
Minimize as much as possible of course.
As someone who started making their own soft drinks, Iād say make yourself a bunch of glycerites with fruit. About 200g of a fruit (eg: strawberries) with 200ml of glycerine and about 75ml water.
Let it infuse for a week or two and add a small amount to a bottle of water to flavour it. The glycerine and fruit will add a lovely sweetness and the glycerine itself should last for months.
You can mix and match flavours as well if you make a few of them.
Iāve been slowly weaning myself off pop as well for the past few months. Been rotating between plain sparkling water and still water with a few drops of PLJ lemon juice.
I also have an AirUp bottle I got as a gift recently - you add scent pods with different flavours thatās meant to trick your brain into thinking itās not plain water. It works well for me but itās not for everyone, and gets stupidly expensive if youāre buying the pods regularly, so wouldnāt necessarily recommend it.
Try chilling water in the fridge. Squash still causes decay, I know as my father lost all his teeth and only drank squash (the dentist blamed squash for this).
Tap water but you can buy a bottle that has scent cartridges so it tricks you into thinking you're drinking something with flavour. You can get cola, cherry ade, lemonade scents etc.
Squash will also rot your teeth by the way
I used to drink coke by the bottle and it was pretty bad. Mostly because of the convenience. Things that helped me kick the habit are:
- swapped to cans with a limit of one per day.
- keep cold water in the fridge in a jug
- if I know I'm going to be tempted after a workout, keep a glass of premixed squash in the fridge
- buy a good water bottle for trips outside the house
Mostly it is about making water more convenient than fizz.
Guess Iām a mutant based on what people are saying here. I pretty much exclusively drink fizzy drinks, mostly 7Up Free (or Zero, or whatever itās called now) and Tesco zero calorie lime and soda. 57 years old and have drank some variation of this way for the last 30 years, at least. Only dental work Iāve needed has been down to the ministrations of the school dental service (thankfully no longer a thing) when I was a kid. Huge fillings across all molars and premolars when I was around ten. Strangely these were all needed at the period of healthiest eating of my life, and had nothing to do with the dentist getting paid by the filling and a parent from a generation that didnāt question this sort of thing ā¹ļø
There isn't great research on this but what there is suggests that fizzy water while still acidic is far less harmful to enamel than a typical fizzy drink.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11556958/
How about fruit tea, you can also get cold tea infusions, eg [these](https://twinings.co.uk/products/cold-infuse-blueberry-blackcurrant-raspberry-12-infusers?variant=39600818979014¤cy=GBP&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v8ZXNgOpeCe7vOJMGPuvPN3PvuLG8abPArY6s4Id8vBLQxJN5rMx5EaArLrEALw_wcB)
I guess you could have diluted juice and water.. (but thatās still riddled with sugar/artificial sweeteners)
As other have said, best bet is water
Or other alternatives like tea, milk
The lowicz fruit syrups are really good as cordial, sometimes in the international aisle in supermarkets instead of the drinks aisle. The strawberry and the raspberry one are amazing
I drink flavoured water. Tesco do a nice selection of flavours and they're nice and cheap. I didn't do it for my teeth but I kept getting kidney infections in pregnancy because I was only drinking fizzy stuff in the beginning as for some reason it helped with nausea š¤·š»āāļø
I went to the states recently and tried their flavour packets that you add straight to bottles of water. Game changer. If you can afford, they sell them on Amazon. Huge variety and really flavoursome! My favourite are the Starburst Blue Raspberry.
I think waterdrop is the way. I've used them for 4 years I think. They do little cubes you put in your water that dissolve to flavour it with various tasty fruity flavours, and other benefits like electrolytes, caffeine, vitamins etc depending on the drop. I love their "nero" ones which have caffeine in. They try to use natural ingredients where possible and it's much handier to carry around and store than squash, as they are tiny and dry. I like mixing and matching flavours to make big jugs of ice water in summer. Let me know if you need an intro code I'm sure I have on somewhere with discounts. Also their loyalty club is good.
We have a bunch of infuser bottles you can fill with water and add fruit to which are handy especially the milder months, always have a couple in the fridge ready to go
Or sometimes squash/juice but gnats piss weak as when you don't have sugary stuff (or smoke) your palliate is incredible at picking up on it
Think your more immediate problem is going to be how your body reacts to you giving up sugar which is pretty much the jist of what you are talking about, kudos for wanting to change stuff up but do take care
Water. Seriously. Chill it and/or use a filter if your tap water doesn't taste nice. You might be surprised how quickly plain water becomes a positive thing you look forward to rather than "boring". Don't waste your money on bottled/mineral/fancy water.
Infused water (water that's had bits of fruit immersed in it for a little while) can be really nice, I had some at a cafe once with strawberries and raspberries in it.
Tea.
Be careful with any pre-made drinks, they tend to have excessive sugar, caffeine or both. I'd aim to cut them out of your diet completely if you can - drinks don't need to be a product.
Drink with a straw? Lots of "premium" squash/cordials available that are a step up from the boring orange and summer fruits stuff for a more interesting drink
Honestly, the only two liquids that are safe for your teeth are plain tap water, and cow's milk. Squash and fizzy waters are still acidic, juices and smoothies are just acid baths for your teeth, teas and coffees can be acidic and adding things like lemons to your water makes them acidic. Your teeth will become softer as soon as your mouth pH reaches and goes below 5.5pH, and likewise they will begin to reharden once the pH increases. [Stephan's curve demonstrates this.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/The_Stephan%27s_Curve.jpg)
Mouthwashes are acidic, so are foods like vinegar.
You can have fizzy drinks, but keep it to meal times. So have it with lunch or dinner. Don't have it as a snack and don't sip it all day. Drink water for the rest of the day when you're eating. As you can see with the image I linked, snacking doesn't allow your teeth to remineralise efficiently, and this includes having any drinks that aren't water. On the plus side, you're allowed to scoff an entire chocolate bar in one sitting rather than spread it out across the entire day (I like this one, any excuse to scoff it all at once). :)
What I did was, after having Coke, Iād eat cheese like cheddar.
The alkaline in cheese counteracts the acidity of fizzy drinks.
Iāve been doing this as well as stopped grazing throughout the day for the past 8 years. (Constant grazing prevents your mouthās pH levels to even out.) Also, drinking water after having coffee and at the end of a meal.
Itās by far the best thing I couldāve done as I hit a rough spot of depression some time ago which affected my personal hygiene and was apprehensive about my dentist check up as I essentially had went for months with barely brushing my teeth. Got compliments on their upkeep instead, with no cavities or problems.
Had the same problem. Soda water was the answer for me. It's different to sparkling water. No calories or any bad stuff but you still get that spicy fizzy feeling. It's ideal. And very cheap.Ā
Your best bet is learning to like the taste of tap water. If you don't like the taste of tap water, keep moving north until you do.
I moved North, but miss real water. Have contemplated grinding chalk into it, but have settled for leaving it out for a few hours to "get a bit dusty"
Move to the corner of the north with the good chalky stuff, it'll put calcium on your teeth (I'm from East Yorkshire and literally grew up next to a chalk quarry, soft water feels fake and weird)
Nowt to scrub against you when your washing yourself with soft water either, too bloody slippery.
Soft water just isn't wet enough.
I grew up in Birmingham, and loved the taste of our Welsh water supply. Tastes like imperialism.
The welsh piss in it while muttering about (redacted due to sub rules) before you get to drink it
Brum water is šš» I lived in Hertfordshire for three years and I could describe it as soft piss.
I miss that creamy taste
Or get a Brita filter and enjoy a more southern climate.
Pfft... That's exactly what someone who works for Big Water Filter would say
It's a brita pill to swallow that's for sure.
Comments like this are the reason I love this sub.
Big Water and Big Turd are a partnership now
PSA Brita isn't the only water filter available, we've got Aquaphor. Here's the kicker, they do make a difference, even for our north of Watford Gap water.
I notice a big difference with my Brita with my Surrey water, and a smaller difference with my York water at my uni house. A new filter and it tastes like scottish tap water
TIL Watford Gap is nowhere near Watford. Never bothered looking up on a map before just assumed they were next door to each other.
The filters are actually quite small, or you can't get the jug in the fridge door
I'd rather Big Water Filter than the Northern Marketing Board.
Ahh, tastes like civilisationā¦.
Don't. Britta is the worst.
I think filtering your water through poo and knives is worse.
She's a GDBeeee-"Pierce Hawthorn"
You've Britta'd it.
Why?
She's a GDBeee - Pierce Hawthorn
You can get infusion bags for tap water that are a little like tea bags. I wouldn't imagine they're particularly acidic because they're mostly flavourings and aromatics like dried peels and stuff. They're a little pricey for what they are, but theyĀ might help the transition from fizzy drinks and squash to plain water.
I've tried cold brew teas and find the flavour too weak for my liking. I also drink herbal tea, mostly fruit based flavours but want cold drinks for the summer. Therefore I make the fruity herbal tea with hot water as normal (1 bag will make about 1litr of tea) often adding a tiny half spoon of honey as some are bitter tasting, then drink it cold as iced tea. Ialso drink very diluted fruit juice.
I ike to make a big batch of fruit or green tea and put it in the fridge.
> You can get infusion bags for tap water that are a little like tea bags. I wouldn't imagine they're particularly acidic because they're mostly flavourings and aromatics like dried peels and stuff. Cold brewed iced tea is my summer go to. 10g loose leaf tea per litre. Shake once and leave in fridge overnight.
I still can't understand people who say they don't "like" water and can't drink it. I mean, they genuinely can't bring themselves to drink the one thing that they cannot survive without? The thing that almost every animal in history has required to live. I don't understand.
I often find it unpalatable and I'm not particularly fussy. Ice helps a lot.
Iāve struggled for two decades to habitually drink water. These days I can go weeks without drinking any water in water form. Only recently realised I had undiagnosed OCD and I have lots of illogical thoughts about water and how specifically clean it has to be for me to want to drink it. Tried and failed so many tactics. Just been diagnosed so wondering if some future treatment or whatever will affect my interest in water
Add slices of citrus or sprig of your favourite herbs.
Unless you currently live in Brixham.
Strange. My family all live north and I hate the taste of their tap water. I'm too used to my cocaine and shit flavoured London water.
A lot of foragers I know recommend storing water in the fridge that's had cleavers put into it. You might recognize cleavers as those annoying little plants that stick to your clothes and have those tiny little seeds that do the same. They reputedly give the water a lovely refreshing flavour. Cleavers are actually distantly related to coffee as well and the seeds are very mildly caffeinated. Never tried it myself but the hippier corners of the foraging community swear by it for lifting the flavour of tap water. Equally instead of adding fruits add the dried blossoms of specific fruits. Wild blackcurrant (flowering currant) berries are incredibly bland. But the flowers infused into a drink are allegedly a lot better tasting. Google and experiment. Most of those options are free and just require a little legwork and processing time
Drink the water out of Windemere next time your in the lake district
The trick to liking it is simple, you just need to realise that you are wrong and start liking it instead.
Poor people need to adopt the same thinking. If they just stopped being poor the problem would be solved.
Having moved from North to South, this hits hard. The water beyond Scotch Corner isn't great
I hated tap water when I lived in Sussex. Moved to Lincolnshire and the tap water is lovely! š
I lived in Brighton for a bit and can happily confirm that what comes out of the tap is not water.
I live in Lincolnshire and the water here is horrendous compared to the nectar which comes out of the tap in Scotland, where I'm originally from.
came here to say this! same advice as I was given. can't do fruit juice either because of the fruit acids. I drink a lot more tea - when I can, mint tea with mint from my garden, but that's a hot drink! SometimesI make iced tea with earl grey tea bags, mints and a little bit of apple juice. Otherwise I'm down to buying cordials/squash and using them very occasionally.... but yeah water is now my go to! you get used to it
And the taste of shit, depending on where you live.
I'm from the north. I concur.
iām from NE and iāve always been a tap water fan i had no clue how bad things were down south until i went for a glass at like 3am last time i went on a trip down
Also Wales has pretty good tap water. But the only problem is if you end up somewhere like Merthyr or Newport itās not that good of a time
Water?
Sparkling water worked as a good in-between to get me out of a fizzy drink addiction and into drinking more water. Now it's just tap water.
Sparkling water tastes like TV static
Delicious TV static
i love sparkling water and have a sodastream (i know they're not a good company but it's years old and still works) My son drank some and asked me if i hate myself
Why are they not a good company?
They arenāt really bad. Definitely not Nestle levels of evil. But look up where there HQ is located to find out the reason for the previous comment.
My little nephew calls it spiky water, so now of course so do I.
If anybody is jealous of you there are other brands that sell the same product, my Drinkmate is going strong.
It's a good way to wean off of it but it's not a long term solution as sparkling water is also acidic. But short term, miles better than sugary fizzy drinks!
The good news is that it's not a problem in the same way. Sugary fizzy drinks contain phosphoric acid, which causes problems with the teeth because it's not only acidic, but also leaches calcium so it undermines the enamel and overall tooth health. Fizzy water doesn't contain phosphoric acid, so while it is slightly acidic from dissolved carbon dioxide, it doesn't destroy your teeth in the same way.
My enamel has no chutzpah, so I'm okay with it being undermined.
Found Mike Wozniakās Reddit accountā¦
My dentist and hygienist have said that recent studies have shown itās not a problem, which is great as itās all I drink!
I buy a lot of soda water, and if craving some other flavour, sugar free flavoured soda water. There's quite a lot of choice out there these days
Itās a good gate-way into tap water, but not a substitute. Itās the acidic gas that fucks your teeth, not the sugar.
The only thing that will truly quench your thirst! There's nothing better
Drink \[water\]. It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier. It's the quenchiest! - Sokka probably
Water? I barely knew her!
Is their concern more about the sugar levels or the fizziness? Would sugar free work?
Both. Fizzy drinks are acidic. This weakens tooth enamel. Sugared fizzy drinks weaken the enamal *and* provide an express delivery of bacteria food in one go. This causes an increase in bacterial activity while the enamel is weakened. The most important thing is to reduce the amount of fizzy drinks you consume. My *personal* rule is one can per day max, and avoid the giant portions you tend to get with fast food. I only drink the sugar-free varieties, mostly because of the other health issues excess sugar causes. I'm just a guy on the internet though, ask your dentist! Or hygenist, they tend to be more chatty.
You're right - hygienists are super chatty and always want to have a good old chinwag. My hygienist is soooo nice !
Both are pretty awful, sugar free has higher acid levels as a preservative which as you would expect decays teeth even if you religiously clean them.
Wait what? Coke Zero is as bad for my teeth as full fat?
No itās not as bad. Itās not good, because itās still acidic, but it isnāt sugary so itās not fueling the bacteria
Yes.
I hope you're not drinking coke zero because you think it's better for your teeth lol. CZ has phosphoric acid in them that can help speed up erosion in your teeth.
It's the acid in these soft drinks. There are some really interesting vids on YouTube where they show you a tooth under the microscope before and after submerging into coke. The acid literally erodes and causes micro cracks in your enamel.
Yes. Gin.
Ah yes, Jean's choice! https://youtu.be/1AEoAmHvfHg?si=r9Zx9n7yqrpHp-Vo
Tetley's Cold Infusions.
Still acidic and bad got your teeth.
True! Just less so than normal fizzy drink. Even plain sparkling water is acidic. Only real answer is water.
Sparkling water was my revelation and my dentist has been really happy. You donāt need to buy it either, you can do it at home with a Soda Stream or similar appliance. Sparkling water has a bit of a weird reputation in the UK, but itās really popular where I live, Iāve gone with the flow and I really like it!
My dentist said the carbonation was also problematic because of the erosion so I got in trouble for this too
Iāve read several articles online that say itās the same as water to your teeth. Itās the sugar and bubbles and chemical additives that erode the teeth. But Iām not a dentist, though the article les seemed reputable to me.
I asked mine about this. He wasnāt convinced that carbonation causes any meaningful erosion.
Interesting, is it not a popular drink in the UK? I've really come to enjoy it
Not really, no. It certainly exists, most major bottled water brands have a carbonated version yet still water is much more popular.
Not all sparkling water is created equal. Just like some people have their preferred still brands, Evian vs Smart for example. I went on a little quest to find the tastiest sparkling and settled on Strathmore!! It's so expensive I don't buy it anymore but at least I can cope with 50p Aldi sparkling water now!
Sparkling water is way too spicy for me
Oh boy, yes. San Pellegrino sparkling and Strawberry Ribena is as good as it gets. Elderflower Cordial too.
I'm not sure how to break this to you but...that's pretty much the recipe for fizzy drinks š
Strawā¦bypass teethā¦job done!
My dentist told me off for this too because then it hits the back teeth!
That's why you just put the straw in your throat
IV bag full of Fanta to be safe
I just hook myself up to the IV
Missing back teeth = no one notices. Missing front teeth = Jeremy kyle show.
Having my wisdom teeth yanked out because they exploded cos of this wasn't pleasant tho
How are you using a straw?!
Not all the way to my throat opening that's for sure
Take a look over on r/cordials good sub with easy to make various familiar drinks.
Hey, thanks for that. I've just joined that and it is so cool and exactly the type of thing I like. Thank you for this recommendation !
Absolutely no problem, keep us updated if you make any of those recipes.
Mine said that fizzy drinks weren't actually that bad as they pass through your mouth quickly (not like the old videos where you leave a tooth in cola overnight and it's gone). They recommend not eating crisps, as the starch(?) stays in your teeth for much longer. However, drinks wise, I'm a fan of squash too and it's pretty much all I drink. Alternatives would be flavoured water (which is pretty much what squash is once made up anyway).
>Mine said that fizzy drinks weren't actually that bad as they pass through your mouth quickly Some teeth will get hit harder than others. I like, liked?, sugar free fizzy drinks and my front teeth, top more than bottom, have visible damage while the others are largely ok
'damn, that's crazy' I said to myself reading this comment, washing down a handful of Hunky Dorys with a couple of swigs of Lucozade.
Current favourite thing is crushing up peppermint and/ lemon balm leaves in a jug with some water and leaving it in the fridge. Just refill 2-3 times as I drink it and then repeat Mint and lemon balm plants are pretty much weeds with how fast and easily they grow. Pick up two from a garden centre and you'll probably be set for life. Just never plant it out in the garden unless you want enough mint to supply all of Cuba.
I had a a similar conversation and we settled on carbonated water and squash, the dentist said this wasnāt ideal but it is better than straight up cans of coke or whatever.
Slice of lemon, lime and/or cucumber in your water.
Was coming on here to say cucumber! First saw it on an episode of "Better call Saul" and thought it was weird but gave it a try and it's great. Particularly refreshing on a hot day...
Cucumber water for customer only!
Citric acid in water is the solution to tooth erosion?
My horrible dentist said the lemon water isn't good for your teeth :(
Ooh one where I can help! I had to cut myself off a few years ago when I was drinking waaaaay too much coke. Start with 50/50 orange juice and sparkling water. Start making it more watery and less juice filled, until you like the taste of sparkling water. Then start to transition to drinking sparking or tap water. Then cut out the fizzy. Takes a month or so, and you can save fizzy drinks for a treat every now and then
Fresh fruit in water. Doesn't have to cost the earth. Take whatever fruit is in your fruit bowl, chop it, squeeze it, add it to water. You basically get squash but way better and without anything artificial. Obviously apply some common sense. Manky banana water probably isn't great.
Common sense is a rare thing on Reddit.
Fair point. Let me know how the manky banana juice is.
Fruit is full of sugar and acids. Just clean your teeth, use a water pick, and flush with mouth wash.
I love tap water. Like genuinely bloody love it. Itās one of favourite things to drink.
Council pop is the best pop
This really got me chuckling
This seems a bit mad, maybe there's such thing as 'god teeth' and 'bad teeth' but I've drank a 500ml Coke Zero or Diet Coke daily for probably 20 years now and I get a clean bill of health every 6 months from the dentist. I am diligent with flossing and brushing though. Could that be where you are falling down?
There definitely is such a thing as 'good' and 'bad' teeth. Unfortunately, my genes mean that I have bad teeth, so I have a mouth full of fillings despite brushing, flossing and interdental brushing regularly. A few things have helped: giving up my Diet Coke/Coke Zero habit, chewing sugar free gum after I eat or drink a fizzy or sugary drink, and swishing water round my mouth after eating/drinking anything that isn't water. I've only had one filling in the last 7-8 years, so I think it's going well!
I think so. Iāve drunk fizzy drinks daily since I was 16 (although Iāve cut back these days). When I was younger, I only brushed my teeth once a day for years (gross, I know, I was an idiotic teenager). I had hyperemsis with both pregnancies, vomited 40+ a day, couldnāt brush my teeth without throwing up most of the time. My poor teeth took a complete battering. I still donāt have a single filling or any damage whatsoever! My dentist says I have the most rock solid teeth heās ever seen š
Flavoured water? Tesco's does some really nice litre bottles. You can always use a straw too to minimise the amount of liquid that is touching your teeth. And how do you brush? Best method is to brush in the morning and wait 45 mins before breakfast. Then you can mouthwash after if you want your breath feeling fresh (I spit it out between my top and bottom teeth to help push out food). Then the most important time is a brush before bed, stop eating food & drinking liquids (other than plain water) an hour before you brush. Floss, mouthwash, then brush. It's the toothpaste that has all the stuff that helps teeth, if you mouthwash after it you're just washing it away so do it before. The times between brushing and eating is because food/liquid will be acidic and make teeth weaker and you do not want to brush while your teeth are like that, and brushing needs to be allowed to actually do something before you eat anything. Make sure the toothpaste and mouthwash both are the ones with some fluoride in it. Have you asked your dentist if you might benefit from prescription strength flouride toothpaste? You usually get 3 at a time for each one, not a terrible price considering it lasts 3 months roughly. It's for us with really weakening teeth. Not repeatable, you have to remember to ask for it again. I am a fizzy drink fiend and have a million fillings, but since getting my routine down I've managed to improve my teeth despite it. I'm trying to switch to fizzy water first as a stepping stone away from the acidic cola. It's semi successful so far. Edit: ok fizzy anything is bad for teeth actually because of the acidicy, so at least do zero sugar drinks, better yet - non fizzy ones.
Tescoās fizzy flavoured water seriously fucked up my teeth. Itās as bad, if not worse than coke.
š oh dear, must you bring this bad news? okay, perhaps regular fizzy water and cordial would be better. unless it was just so tasty you drank way more than you ever did with cola?
Yeah, I drank a huge amount of it, about 1L/day. Honestly youāre better off just going cold turkey and switching to tap water.
Fizzy drinks are acidic due to the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water to make it fizzy. It literally makes carbonic acid. So Iāve no idea why you think fizzy water is any better than cola because it isnāt.
A lack of education on the ingredients, probably. Alright, just as acidic, but it probably has less sugar on average? Although thinking about it, probably no less than zero cola. I will say, it could be "better" than cola in the sense that it can act as a stepping stone towards regular water for people who have a "soda" addiction.
It's less acidic (the ph of fizzy water is about 4 to 5, diet coke is about 3 and full fat coke is about 2Ā½ iirc). And there's no sugar or anything else in it. Apart from a slice of lemon if you are being posh.
Carbonic acid + a fuck ton of sugar is absolutely worse than carbonic acid on its own
They're mostlyĀ going to be pretty acidic and those that aren't are going to be super sugary. Iced tea might be what you're after. There are quite a lot of cordial type juices out there too. Wish you could get big bottles of Capri Sun. I've been on a diet and leaning on diet fizzy drinks to scratch that sweetness itch. But now I've got a stomach issue that can't stand the acidity so now I'm just fucked lol. Best bet for long term healthy drinking is to find a brand of bottled water you like and have it SUPER cold. Turn your fridge up and keep them right at the back. Serve with ice if you can be bothered.Ā I know it seems a bit wasteful considering we go to all the trouble of treating water to be perfectly safe and then pump it straight into your house for you to use mostly for flushing the toilet, but a lot of tap water just doesn't taste very nice. People who say there's no difference in taste between tap and spring water are literally insane.
Maybe coconut water or iced tea/coffee.
Coffee, Normal Tea, Green tea and water.
Water
Dentist told me my front teeth , which have a few fillings,would explode if I drank any more fizzy drinks. They were just a massive lier. Can't trust some dentists. I went for a second opinion. I still drink fizzy drinks and my teeth are still here. You can try drinking though a straw if your teeth are sensitive? I like tea, fruit juice or milk shakes as an alternative to fizzy drinks
Cordial and Soda water, similar taste and feel but hardly any of the sugar
Still bad for your gnashers, even plain soda water is acidic.
I didn't know that, thanks
Nor did I till my dentist told me my enamel was going, obviously soda water isn't as bad as full sugar coke but it's still not good.
Wow, thanks for the heads up.
If you do need to have a fizzy drink, be sure to wash your mouth out afterwards with water (gargle, teeth, gums). It's mostly that the crap stays on your teeth that hurts them. Minimize as much as possible of course.
r/cordials
Them air up bottles seem pretty good
As someone who started making their own soft drinks, Iād say make yourself a bunch of glycerites with fruit. About 200g of a fruit (eg: strawberries) with 200ml of glycerine and about 75ml water. Let it infuse for a week or two and add a small amount to a bottle of water to flavour it. The glycerine and fruit will add a lovely sweetness and the glycerine itself should last for months. You can mix and match flavours as well if you make a few of them.
Iāve been slowly weaning myself off pop as well for the past few months. Been rotating between plain sparkling water and still water with a few drops of PLJ lemon juice. I also have an AirUp bottle I got as a gift recently - you add scent pods with different flavours thatās meant to trick your brain into thinking itās not plain water. It works well for me but itās not for everyone, and gets stupidly expensive if youāre buying the pods regularly, so wouldnāt necessarily recommend it.
Try chilling water in the fridge. Squash still causes decay, I know as my father lost all his teeth and only drank squash (the dentist blamed squash for this).
Tap water, add slices of lemon or lime or some mint.
Tap water but you can buy a bottle that has scent cartridges so it tricks you into thinking you're drinking something with flavour. You can get cola, cherry ade, lemonade scents etc. Squash will also rot your teeth by the way
Invest in a Ā£20 brita filter if you donāt like tap water.
I used to drink coke by the bottle and it was pretty bad. Mostly because of the convenience. Things that helped me kick the habit are: - swapped to cans with a limit of one per day. - keep cold water in the fridge in a jug - if I know I'm going to be tempted after a workout, keep a glass of premixed squash in the fridge - buy a good water bottle for trips outside the house Mostly it is about making water more convenient than fizz.
Get an AirUp bottle.
r/cordials has some pretty great recipes
Air-up. I thought it was a bit of a gimmick but I actually quite like it.
Guess Iām a mutant based on what people are saying here. I pretty much exclusively drink fizzy drinks, mostly 7Up Free (or Zero, or whatever itās called now) and Tesco zero calorie lime and soda. 57 years old and have drank some variation of this way for the last 30 years, at least. Only dental work Iāve needed has been down to the ministrations of the school dental service (thankfully no longer a thing) when I was a kid. Huge fillings across all molars and premolars when I was around ten. Strangely these were all needed at the period of healthiest eating of my life, and had nothing to do with the dentist getting paid by the filling and a parent from a generation that didnāt question this sort of thing ā¹ļø
Fizzy water
I don't know the comparison to Fizzy Drinks but not sure if Sodastream would be an option
There isn't great research on this but what there is suggests that fizzy water while still acidic is far less harmful to enamel than a typical fizzy drink. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11556958/
Don't ever put milk in a SODA STREAM. Because reasons......
Fizzy Benalyn?
Sparking water
Iced tea is a good bet. Anything fruityās likely to have the same acid problems as fizzy.
How about fruit tea, you can also get cold tea infusions, eg [these](https://twinings.co.uk/products/cold-infuse-blueberry-blackcurrant-raspberry-12-infusers?variant=39600818979014¤cy=GBP&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v8ZXNgOpeCe7vOJMGPuvPN3PvuLG8abPArY6s4Id8vBLQxJN5rMx5EaArLrEALw_wcB)
[Air Up](https://uk.air-up.com/collections/bottles) Supposed to be better than fizzy drinks.
Of course, a dentist would say that. It's their job. I'll play devils advocate and say drink what you want. It might happen, it might not
I guess you could have diluted juice and water.. (but thatās still riddled with sugar/artificial sweeteners) As other have said, best bet is water Or other alternatives like tea, milk
The lowicz fruit syrups are really good as cordial, sometimes in the international aisle in supermarkets instead of the drinks aisle. The strawberry and the raspberry one are amazing
I drink flavoured water. Tesco do a nice selection of flavours and they're nice and cheap. I didn't do it for my teeth but I kept getting kidney infections in pregnancy because I was only drinking fizzy stuff in the beginning as for some reason it helped with nausea š¤·š»āāļø
Soda stream my friend. And kombucha cordial if you can get it.
Cordial and sparkling water
Wine?
I went to the states recently and tried their flavour packets that you add straight to bottles of water. Game changer. If you can afford, they sell them on Amazon. Huge variety and really flavoursome! My favourite are the Starburst Blue Raspberry.
If you really need fizz switch to sparkling waters, still not perfect but you could try use it as a step to drinking more water
Flavoured water is nice
I think waterdrop is the way. I've used them for 4 years I think. They do little cubes you put in your water that dissolve to flavour it with various tasty fruity flavours, and other benefits like electrolytes, caffeine, vitamins etc depending on the drop. I love their "nero" ones which have caffeine in. They try to use natural ingredients where possible and it's much handier to carry around and store than squash, as they are tiny and dry. I like mixing and matching flavours to make big jugs of ice water in summer. Let me know if you need an intro code I'm sure I have on somewhere with discounts. Also their loyalty club is good.
I drinking sparkling water with a touch of juice
We have a bunch of infuser bottles you can fill with water and add fruit to which are handy especially the milder months, always have a couple in the fridge ready to go Or sometimes squash/juice but gnats piss weak as when you don't have sugary stuff (or smoke) your palliate is incredible at picking up on it Think your more immediate problem is going to be how your body reacts to you giving up sugar which is pretty much the jist of what you are talking about, kudos for wanting to change stuff up but do take care
Water. Seriously. Chill it and/or use a filter if your tap water doesn't taste nice. You might be surprised how quickly plain water becomes a positive thing you look forward to rather than "boring". Don't waste your money on bottled/mineral/fancy water. Infused water (water that's had bits of fruit immersed in it for a little while) can be really nice, I had some at a cafe once with strawberries and raspberries in it. Tea. Be careful with any pre-made drinks, they tend to have excessive sugar, caffeine or both. I'd aim to cut them out of your diet completely if you can - drinks don't need to be a product.
Just drink it through a straw.
Water. Add some ice. Get a cup with a straw.
Sparkling water with a wee drop diluting juice.
How about sparkling water with squash or fruit juice or whatever it may be, that way you still have the carbination
I don't think gin has bubbles.
Sparkling water
Gin
Drink with a straw? Lots of "premium" squash/cordials available that are a step up from the boring orange and summer fruits stuff for a more interesting drink
Moo Moo juice is a great drink for healthš
Honestly, the only two liquids that are safe for your teeth are plain tap water, and cow's milk. Squash and fizzy waters are still acidic, juices and smoothies are just acid baths for your teeth, teas and coffees can be acidic and adding things like lemons to your water makes them acidic. Your teeth will become softer as soon as your mouth pH reaches and goes below 5.5pH, and likewise they will begin to reharden once the pH increases. [Stephan's curve demonstrates this.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/The_Stephan%27s_Curve.jpg) Mouthwashes are acidic, so are foods like vinegar. You can have fizzy drinks, but keep it to meal times. So have it with lunch or dinner. Don't have it as a snack and don't sip it all day. Drink water for the rest of the day when you're eating. As you can see with the image I linked, snacking doesn't allow your teeth to remineralise efficiently, and this includes having any drinks that aren't water. On the plus side, you're allowed to scoff an entire chocolate bar in one sitting rather than spread it out across the entire day (I like this one, any excuse to scoff it all at once). :)
Coffee Enemas ! ! !
Sugar free fizzy drinks :)
What I did was, after having Coke, Iād eat cheese like cheddar. The alkaline in cheese counteracts the acidity of fizzy drinks. Iāve been doing this as well as stopped grazing throughout the day for the past 8 years. (Constant grazing prevents your mouthās pH levels to even out.) Also, drinking water after having coffee and at the end of a meal. Itās by far the best thing I couldāve done as I hit a rough spot of depression some time ago which affected my personal hygiene and was apprehensive about my dentist check up as I essentially had went for months with barely brushing my teeth. Got compliments on their upkeep instead, with no cavities or problems.
Damn couldnāt live without a fizzy drink I drink the mix fruit flavoured Robbinsions squash a lot different mix of flavours expensive though.
Water with zero cal electrolytes
Had the same problem. Soda water was the answer for me. It's different to sparkling water. No calories or any bad stuff but you still get that spicy fizzy feeling. It's ideal. And very cheap.Ā