Tooth friendly drinks?

[Menopausal Magpie]

So, I have a confession: I have something of a Coke Zero addiction. Like, several cans a day during the summer, and the odd one instead of tea in the winter (I am, as my username indicates, a Lady of a Certain Age, and prone to hot flashes, and cold drinks do help).

However...I realise this is NOT great for my teeth. For the last couple of weeks, since this infection cropped up, I've been staying off the stuff, or ANY sugary drinks (although I tend to prefer the taste of 'diet' drinks anyway, but I know they're just as bad) or snacks (aside from the odd banana, and I rinse my mouth out afterwards). I think I'm going to have to change my ways. And while I barely miss the mid-afternoon cookie, I AM missing the sodas.

Trouble is, I get bored with plain water, and adding fruit/juice for flavour just ups the sugar and acid, so defeats the object. I've been infusing green teabags in cold water, and that's not too bad, but any other suggestions for cool drinks that won't make things worse in the oral department?

 

[Scared all the time]

So, I have a confession: I have something of a Coke Zero addiction. Like, several cans a day during the summer, and the odd one instead of tea in the winter (I am, as my username indicates, a Lady of a Certain Age, and prone to hot flashes, and cold drinks do help).

However...I realise this is NOT great for my teeth. For the last couple of weeks, since this infection cropped up, I've been staying off the stuff, or ANY sugary drinks (although I tend to prefer the taste of 'diet' drinks anyway, but I know they're just as bad) or snacks (aside from the odd banana, and I rinse my mouth out afterwards). I think I'm going to have to change my ways. And while I barely miss the mid-afternoon cookie, I AM missing the sodas.

Trouble is, I get bored with plain water, and adding fruit/juice for flavour just ups the sugar and acid, so defeats the object. I've been infusing green teabags in cold water, and that's not too bad, but any other suggestions for cool drinks that won't make things worse in the oral department?

For me I gave up sodas a long time ago. I mean it’s ok to have one once in a while but I found once my body adjusted to no sugar anything with sugar now just taste horrible to me I drink a lot of water, once in a while I squeeze lemons in it and drink with a straw. I also found when I need that “taste” feeling you know of something besides just water I’ll grab an unsweetened ice tea. Like I said it’s an adjustment for your body but once you get use to it the sugar won’t taste as great as you thought it did before. At least for me. I’m also in menopause ( at only 51 ?) but for hot flashes caffeine alcohol and things like nicotine can cause those hot flashes to intensify so try avoiding them as well ?

 

[comfortdentist]

My thoughts
No soda (fizzy) no fruit juices, no artificially sweetened and no sucrose, fructose,
Water and various teas including hibiscus teas are good. As to a sweetener if you need use the alternative sugars. My favorite is allulose and my next is erythritol. Xylitol comes in third.
There is a monk fruit enhanced erythritol that is also pretty good. I can't stand stevia.

 

[letsconnect]

On the subject of green tea, I love iced green teas with what I presume is artificial flavouring (strawberry, grapefruit, pineapple, etc). They may not be everyone's cup of tea though (<-- pun intended ). There's also iced mint tea of course... During the summer months, I tend to make a litre of tea, then add lots of ice cubes and put it in the fridge (makes about a litre and a half).

 

[Menopausal Magpie]

Thanks people!

At the moment I have green teas with jasmine (actual herb) and with lime (I checked that and it's just flavouring so hopefully not too acidic). I've had hibiscus before, too. (I drink chamomile before bed, but not so keen on that one cold.)

Are there any commercial soft drinks sweetened with non-tooth-damaging sweeteners? I'd have thought there would have been more of a market for that. Ribena used to do a 'Toothkind' version, but they apparently actually got taken to court because it wasn't as toothkind as they made it out to be! (And I've never been a fan of that stuff anyway.)

Oh, another thing: I know from what I've seen online that drinking a lot of booze isn't good for teeth, but what about alcohol-free 'booze', particularly beers? Being on long-term SSRIs I don't drink much alcohol, but I like the odd booze-free beer on a weekend...

 

[comfortdentist]

Virtually all purchased drinks have acid added to their ingredients.

 

[tazey]

Thanks people!

At the moment I have green teas with jasmine (actual herb) and with lime (I checked that and it's just flavouring so hopefully not too acidic). I've had hibiscus before, too. (I drink chamomile before bed, but not so keen on that one cold.)

Are there any commercial soft drinks sweetened with non-tooth-damaging sweeteners? I'd have thought there would have been more of a market for that. Ribena used to do a 'Toothkind' version, but they apparently actually got taken to court because it wasn't as toothkind as they made it out to be! (And I've never been a fan of that stuff anyway.)

Oh, another thing: I know from what I've seen online that drinking a lot of booze isn't good for teeth, but what about alcohol-free 'booze', particularly beers? Being on long-term SSRIs I don't drink much alcohol, but I like the odd booze-free beer on a weekend...

Ribena used to be fine now it's full of sweeteners+tastes vile wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

 

[Menopausal Magpie]

Like I said, Tazey, I was never a fan, not even as a kid. (Yeah, I'm super old. I can remember when Lucozade wasn't a sports drink, it came in a big bottle wrapped in orange cellophane and you only EVER drank it when you'd been ill. That taste is welded in my mind to lying on the sofa off school watching Crown Court.)

I'm not really a fan of very sweet drinks anyway, which is why I prefer the diet versions of soda. Haven't drunk pure fruit juice in years either. Lemon barley water on occasion. I had some kombucha today - that had a little stevia in it, not much, but I guess that's not great for your teeth either?