Cheese vs. Soda: What They Do to Your Teeth

Say “cheese” for a better looking smile in photographs, eat cheese for a good one in real life. It's for real. The May-June edition of General Dentistry published a study about how cheese and other dairy products help the teeth protect themselves against the powerful acids that other foods release when they are chewed.

The study consisted of teenagers who were asked to chew on cheese, finish sugar-free yogurt, and drink milk. Prior to consuming what was given to them, the pH levels of their mouths were taken. The same was done thrice: 10, 20, and 30 minutes after consumption of the dairy products. It turns out that of all the dairy products given to them, it was cheese that enabled their mouths to raise their respective pH levels.

High pH levels are very important in one's oral health because they prevent cavity buildup. Lower pH levels, particularly ones below 5.5, allow acids and bacteria to thrive and cause tooth erosion. Dentists highly discourage the consumption of very acidic drinks like soda because they lower your mouth's pH level. When this happens, it is all the more difficult to protect the teeth from the corrosive properties of acidic food and drinks.