What lemon in your H20 is really doing to your teeth!

I have this conversation quite a lot… I wish more people knew that lemon in your H20 is actually the quickest way to ‘melt’ your teeth.

A rough guess? About 1/1000mm of enamel is taken off your teeth with every glass of lemon water. It mightn’t sound like much, but a glass a day over a few years? Think of the damage.

Ive heard these so often:

  • “Ahhh… So that could be what’s causing the sensitivity?!” - Yes, chemically speaking its pretty much the opposite of sensitive toothpaste

  • “Ahhh… So that is why my teeth appear thinner?” - Yes, it’s taking a layer off. So, yes.

  • “Is that why I always need fillings?” - It’s certainly contributing. This of it like this: the bacteria can get away with working FAR LESS HARD to create the necessary conditions (acid) to form a hole.

Do you remember the sugar-free gum ads in the late 90’s - “Chewing gum stimulates saliva, taking the acidity back to healthy levels more quickly”. This describes the Stefans Curve. Long story short, it takes about 30 minutes for the acidity to return to normal after every sip of lemon-based water. So you can imagine, the worst thing you can do is plonk it on your desk at work and sip it over the course of the whole morning…

Best wishes,
Dr Tom Shumack
BSc, BDent (Hons), GradDip(Oral Implants), MRACDS

P.S. Sugar-free gum is good!

Cristy Houghtonstress, teeth grinding, clenching, Bruxism, dental, mouthguard